Justice of SP suspends the purchase of 20,000 facial recognition cameras

Sao Paulo Court of Justice (TJSP) An announcement has been suspended yesterday (18) allowing the purchase and installation of 20,000 facial recognition cameras. The 3rd Treasury Court judge, Luis Manuel Fonseca Pires, argued in his decision: technology can reproduce structural racism.

The Smart Sampa edict was opened by the Municipality of São Paulo and the auction was to be held next Tuesday (23). The magistrate who suspended the bidding also thinks that monitoring may violate the General Data Protection Act (LGPD).

“The extent of the impact produced by the technological monitoring system through facial recognition imposes on Public Power the responsibility to consider its use only after the definition of precise legal rules that balance public safety objectives with fundamental rights,” one quote states. from the decision highlighted by Brazil Agency.

The São Paulo court also underlined that researchers have for some time pointed out the risk of artificial intelligence detecting faces that reproduces prejudices. Machine training is done with human cultural productions and eventually reflects various prejudices, including racist views.

OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, has already warned about the issue and says it’s trying to reduce those biases to try to eliminate biased stereotypes in responses.

legal interrogation

The Smart Sampa edict led to the purchase of at least 20,000 facial recognition cameras for São Paulo. The equipment can be installed, for example, near parks, hospitals, circulated squares and at the entrances and exits of the city.

One of the challenges for the project was presented by the PSOL’s collective mandate, Bancada Feminista. According to the note sent Brazil Agencycontrary to the collective notification, he justified his thesis.

“The cancellation of the trade session will prevent the city from deepening structural racism on behalf of the municipal government,” said cover artist Silvia Ferraro. “It’s already known around the world that facial recognition cameras are machines that unfairly punish blacks,” she said.

The Municipality of São Paulo reported yesterday that it has not yet been notified of the judicial decision, but that they will “take all appropriate judicial measures to reform the decision to ensure the execution of Smart’s electronic auction.” The Sampa schedule for next Tuesday (23)”.