Brazil: Rio de Janeiro to get facial recognition-equipped intercity buses

In Brazil intercity vans circulating the state of Rio de Janeiro will be equipped with facial recognition.

The first batch of vehicles will be equipped in January 2025, and implemented gradually across the fleet until October. The measure was published by Detro-RJ, an agency linked to the State Secretariat of Transport and Urban Mobility (Setram).

“This type of technology brings more efficiency to the transport operation and is essential to combat the irregular use of benefits,” said Transport Secretary Washington Reis. “We want passengers to have peace of mind to board the vans and have greater safety in their travels, enjoying the discount granted by the state government. The process will be carried out over ten months, without any harm to operators,” he added.

Facial recognition will be used to verify proper use of discounts afforded to groups such as the elderly, students, and those with disabilities. The technology is intended to combat fraud such as the use of the transport card by someone other than the holder. Those caught in improper use could have their benefits suspended. The technology was tested in some regulated vans following a joint study by Detro-RJ, Setram and the civil police.

In 2016 a decree was published by Rio state that outlined implementation of biometric control for electronic ticketing services. Biometrics are primarily facial and stored on Rio state databases. The decree prohibits the transfer of data – collected by the passenger transport service – to third parties or for its commercialization in any capacity “without the consent of the granting authority.” Improper use of user data is also punishable. Facial recognition is a highly contested area in Brazil, with activist groups calling for bans on its use.

The decree can be read in full here (in Brazilian Portuguese).

Article Topics

biometrics  |  Brazil  |  facial recognition  |  fraud prevention  |  identity verification  |  transportation