AN INVESTIGATION ABOUT TECHNOLOGIES BASED ON PERSONAL DATA

Among municipalities, the capitals aggregate most of the occurrences of implementation of technologies registered in the study. Some exceptions can be highlighted such as Campinas (SP - São Paulo state), which leads the implementations with 6 technologies, next to São Paulo (SP). The capitals Rio de Janeiro and Recife are next on the list, each with 5 cases. Aparecida de Goiânia (GO - Goiás state) is another exception, having 4 cases, the same as the capitals Porto Alegre (RS), João Pessoa (PB) and Aracaju (SE). Municipalities from regions with more resources, such as South and Southeast, represent 52 out of 69 occurrences, that is to say that only 17 municipalities are not in these regions.

As a highlight, it is possible to observe that the main goals of the public sector when adopting technologies to fight COVID-19 were to monitor people flow (31.6%) and provide telemedicine services (30%). In 10.3% of the cases, technologies were implemented for body temperature monitoring, including the use of photothermal cameras, in some cases also equipped with facial recognition technology. Platforms with data on the evolution of COVID-19 represent 9.9%, including some that had online risk maps based on georeferencing. Contact tracing represented 6.7% of the cases, information provision 3.9%, people identification 2.8%, digitalization of public services 2.4%, mask use monitoring 0.8% and data storage also 0.8%.

As a highlight, it is possible to observe that the main goals of the public sector when adopting technologies to fight COVID-19 were to monitor people flow (31.6%) and provide telemedicine services (30%). In 10.3% of the cases, technologies were implemented for body temperature monitoring, including the use of photothermal cameras, in some cases also equipped with facial recognition technology. Platforms with data on the evolution of COVID-19 represent 9.9%, including some that had online risk maps based on georeferencing. Contact tracing represented 6.7% of the cases, information provision 3.9%, people identification 2.8%, digitalization of public services 2.4%, mask use monitoring 0.8% and data storage also 0.8%.

The use of mobile apps also became widespread, there were 29 occurrences. In 18 of them, the main functionality was providing telemedicine services. The highlight apps were “Dados do Bem” developed by a private enterprise and very popular in Goiás and Rio de Janeiro states, and “Monitora COVID-19” developed by Consórcio Nordeste and contracted with 5 northeastern states (Ceará, Piauí, Maranhão, Bahia and Sergipe). Besides the telemedicine services, the apps identified were used for digitalization of public services (4 cases), mapping the COVID-19 evolution (2 cases), providing information, body temperature monitoring, people flow monitoring and contact tracking (each with 1 case).

To consult the level of risk associated with each type of permission, accessthis table (Google Sheets)

In Loco, currently called Incognia, was the most prominent company as a supplier of technology in the pandemic (18.6%) due to the offering of a Social Isolation Rate that was implemented in 47 locations all around the country. Then, with a large margin of difference in relation to the In Loco, appear, ABR Telecom and Instituto D’or de Ensino de Pesquisa, with 8 and 7 locations implementing their technologies (corresponding to 3.2% and 2.8% of the cases, respectively). In 49.8% of the cases identified, the suppliers presented their product in only one location. Therefore, apart from In Loco’s case, the supply of technology in Brazil was very dispersed among a vast range of suppliers, instead of being centered in a handful of players.

In Loco (Incognia) and ABR Telecom (together with the telecommunication providers Claro, Oi, Vivo and Tim) are suppliers but also developers of two different Social Isolation Rates. Thus, both In Loco (Incognia) and ABR Telecom lead the list of developers identified at 8.6% and 3.2% respectively.

An important aspect to highlight in the results regarding developers is that in 8,3% (the second biggest rate) of the technologies mapped the team was unable to identify the developer. This result is indicative of flaws in the fulfilment of the transparency principle regarding the disclosure of information related to the technologies implemented by the public sector in the country.

A new observation made based on the results about developers is the presence of Dahua, a Chinese multinational company, that appeared as the third company with the most reach (2.8%), corresponding to 8 of all the cases mapped out. The results of Dahua are related to the offering of thermographic cameras used during the pandemic to measure body temperature. Part of these cameras measure temperature using facial recognition technologies. Since fever is one of the main symptoms associated with COVID-19, the application of these cameras has the purpose of identifying possible individuals infected with the virus. Hikvision, another Chinese multinational company manufacturer of thermographic cameras, appears in the results at 2% of the total of developers, corresponding to 6 of the mapped cases. Like Dahua’s cameras, Hikvision’s cameras measure temperature with facial recognition technology and are capable of doing this procedure even if there is a high number of people passing by, at a distance, and also in real time.

In Loco (Incognia) and ABR Telecom (together with the telecommunication providers Claro, Oi, Vivo and Tim) are suppliers but also developers of two different Social Isolation Rates. Thus, both In Loco (Incognia) and ABR Telecom lead the list of developers identified at 8.6% and 3.2% respectively.

An important aspect to highlight in the results regarding developers is that in 8,3% (the second biggest rate) of the technologies mapped the team was unable to identify the developer. This result is indicative of flaws in the fulfilment of the transparency principle regarding the disclosure of information related to the technologies implemented by the public sector in the country.

A new observation made based on the results about developers is the presence of Dahua, a Chinese multinational company, that appeared as the third company with the most reach (2.8%), corresponding to 8 of all the cases mapped out. The results of Dahua are related to the offering of thermographic cameras used during the pandemic to measure body temperature. Part of these cameras measure temperature using facial recognition technologies. Since fever is one of the main symptoms associated with COVID-19, the application of these cameras has the purpose of identifying possible individuals infected with the virus. Hikvision, another Chinese multinational company manufacturer of thermographic cameras, appears in the results at 2% of the total of developers, corresponding to 6 of the mapped cases. Like Dahua’s cameras, Hikvision’s cameras measure temperature with facial recognition technology and are capable of doing this procedure even if there is a high number of people passing by, at a distance, and also in real time.