IMPACT COMMUNICATION
AND INNOVATION
AND INNOVATION
Following the release of the third season of Black Mirror, it was specifically the episode Nosedive that drew attention for addressing a technology so present in our lives as social media. In this case, the episode presented the possibility of turning our lives, as a whole, into a gamified narrative capable of being scored in the same style that some companies have adopted to support the gig economy —ride-sharing apps, for example, quantify the trust and quality of drivers based on a score given by passengers. The idea in Nosedive is that all people, as citizens, would receive a grade, a kind of social evaluation that interferes in people's daily lives, from their obligations to basic rights such as freedom of movement.
It was because of this prominence in a popular science fiction work that the case of the social score in China caught the attention of the West for bringing to reality a dystopia we only knew through speculation. Intended to be fully implemented by 2020, the system is already conducting tests by evaluating the behavior of Chinese citizens on social networks permitted in the country.
WeChat, for example, is China's largest social network, and it is through it that people can also make financial transactions, buy products and services, and perform other procedures. Through it, therefore, it is possible to track the behavior of users and citizens, thus assigning a score based on their conduct. High scores mean certain rewards, such as access to the best schools for children or facilities and discounts on financing. Low scores, however, mean restrictions on access to services and difficulties in processes such as buying property or even traveling by plane.
Along with the monitoring done on social networks, the Chinese are also adopting facial recognition technology to cross-reference with their database. There has already been a case where an individual was arrested upon being recognized by a camera during a concert and, now, even police officers on the street are starting to test wearable devices that enable this monitoring in a less discreet way.
The issue is that we often have access to this news and disconnect from it, thinking it is a matter reserved for the Asian context, and specifically the Chinese one. But, in reality, the United Kingdom is already using this type of tool for public safety purposes, and now the company Staff of Technology Solutions also has a branch in Brazil and signed a partnership with Disque Denúncia late last year. The idea is to implement a system that enables the recognition of about 1,100 of the most wanted criminals in Rio de Janeiro through the Facewatch software adapted to cameras. According to the coordinator of Disque Denúncia, Zeca Borges, the role of the institution he represents is to provide the images of the wanted individuals so that the cameras can perform facial recognition. "If one of these wanted individuals enters a place that is being monitored, they can be identified," he explains.
Facial recognition cameras are currently in use at three shopping malls in Rio de Janeiro, as well as in several commercial buildings. Once the devices identify an individual, an alarm is triggered, allowing security forces to proceed with the necessary protocols. Despite recent success in identifying and detaining a wanted suspect in Rio de Janeiro without resistance, British Consul General in Rio, Simon Wood, emphasizes the need for laws to protect the data captured by these cameras, thereby ensuring every citizen's right to privacy. Even with years of experience using surveillance cameras in London, Wood notes that the United Kingdom continues to reinforce the importance of freedom. "There is a strong legal framework in place to ensure the anonymity of people who are not involved in crimes. We must balance technology with the law so as not to compromise personal data," he explains.
This issue of privacy is particularly significant and has been a point of consideration even within the Brazilian context. After implementing a facial recognition camera system on the Yellow Line of the São Paulo Metro, the company ViaQuatro, the concessionaire that operates the line, was sued by the Brazilian Institute of Consumer Defense (Idec) due to the data collection performed by these devices. The problem identified in this case was that these cameras were not being used for public safety, but rather to collect passenger information for advertising purposes and to sell that data to interested companies. According to Idec, the practice is illegal and offers passengers no option to opt out of this collection. "It is a forced opinion poll that violates the Constitution and several federal laws, and it is a practice that runs counter to the new General Data Protection Law," explains Idec researcher Rafael Zanatta.
As a solution, Idec suggests that the concessionaire develop a tool that informs passengers about data collection, allowing them to choose whether or not to have their information stored. In other words, a concern that was once reserved only for the virtual environment of social media—and which touches on recent Facebook scandals—is now becoming part of the physical world. This calls into question the use of technology for the commodification of citizens, rather than as a tool for support, such as in public safety.
However, to what extent does allowing ourselves to be watched guarantee our safety, and is the loss of our privacy worth the results? For now, public security actions like the military intervention in Rio de Janeiro demonstrate not only high public spending but also results of worsening levels of violence. It is scenarios like this that raise questions about which technologies can help make processes more efficient and cost-effective, but which may have the side effect of being exploited for improper purposes and infringing upon individual privacy.
