The Smart Sampa project is the latest among a series of initiatives involving modern surveillance techniques in various Brazilian states. By , up to 20, cameras will be installed, and an equal number of third-party and private cameras will be integrated into the network.
The new cameras will enable the city to monitor schools, medical practices, public spaces such as squares and parks, as well as social media content relevant to public administration. The combination of real-time analytics and facial recognition technology — which detects and compares faces in a given space using artificial intelligence AI algorithms — is meant to expedite the process of identifying wanted criminals, stolen cars, missing persons, lost objects, and managing public transport across the city.
Improvements are urgently needed in both areas and complaints about excessive waiting times from bus users to the city transport authority have risen by 42 percent in the first quarter of and data from the urban security department indicates a With real-time data from the cameras and algorithms, the city expects to predict and act upon occurrences faster.
It also hopes to anticipate traffic patterns and potential congestion points and use insights to adjust bus schedules, for example.
These concerns led to the suspension of the tendering process on two occasions and prompted investigations by public prosecutors into potential project pitfalls in areas including citizen privacy. Experts argue the project could undermine the right to non-discrimination and challenge the principle of presumption of innocence. A study conducted by the Center for Studies on Public Security and Citizenship CESeC , which monitors the impact of facial recognition use by police nationwide, revealed that more than 90 percent of the individuals arrested through decisions based on facial recognition in Brazil are Black.
