Brazilian Legislative Proposals on AI Focus on Surveillance and Security Concerns
Legislative initiatives in Brazil increasingly prioritize AI-driven public security and surveillance, raising concerns about privacy and democracy, while regulators consider wider AI content use oversight.
- • Between 2023-2025, 183 AI-related legislative proposals were identified in five Brazilian states.
- • 48% of proposals focus on public security, prominently involving cameras and drones.
- • Right-wing parties dominate AI legislative discussions, particularly concerning policing technologies.
- • IDMJR warns these AI-focused security measures may threaten privacy rights and democracy under Brazil's Constitution and LGPD.
Key details
A recent dossier by the Iniciativa Direito à Memória e Justiça Racial (IDMJR) reveals that legislative proposals regarding artificial intelligence (AI) in Brazil overwhelmingly emphasize public security and surveillance. Between 2023 and 2025, 183 legislative initiatives were identified across five states—Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Espírito Santo, Paraná, and Santa Catarina. Of these, 48% targeted public security measures, often involving technologies such as urban cameras and drones, while 22% focused on education.
Dominated by right-leaning parties like PSDB, União, and PSD, the legislative discourse on AI centers heavily on policing technologies. The IDMJR warns these initiatives pose significant risks to privacy and democratic rights, as they may infringe upon protections granted by the Brazilian Constitution and the General Data Protection Law (LGPD). The dossier stresses the need to consider the implications of AI surveillance from the perspective of structural racism, highlighting how security policies can disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
In a related development on regulatory scrutiny of AI, Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade) is preparing to resume judgment on October 8 regarding Google’s news content scraping. The tribunal may expand this investigation to include how generative AI companies utilize news content, signaling broader scrutiny of AI operations and content usage in Brazil.
These legislative and regulatory actions reflect Brazil's critical crossroads in balancing AI-driven innovation, security imperatives, and safeguarding privacy and human rights within its democratic framework.
This article was translated and synthesized from Brazilian sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
