ProfileMeet the Context team

Leonardo Coelho

Freelance contributor

Thomson Reuters Foundation

Leonardo Coelho is a freelance contributor to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

January 12, 2023

Brazil turns facial recognition on rioters despite racism fears Surveillance

A supporter of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro is detained during a demonstration against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, outside Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, January 8, 2023. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

Police in Brazil plan on using facial recognition to identify protesters who rampaged through government buildings, escalating state surveillance in a move that has alarmed privacy and human rights experts.

Thousands of protesters vandalized Brazil's Supreme Court, Congress and presidential offices in Brasilia on Sunday, seeking to oust leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who narrowly defeated incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in October's vote.

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