Paraná schools use European facial recognition to mark attendance, risking welfare for false absences
Since 2023, the Paraná state education department in Brazil has deployed facial recognition software from Slovak company Innovatrics in over 1,700 schools to automate attendance for nearly one million children. The system has made errors, marking present students as absent. Because attendance records generated by the algorithm affect eligibility for the Bolsa Família welfare program, false absences could threaten families' benefits. In April 2025, the state's public prosecutor filed a legal challenge alleging the system violates Brazilian law; the case is pending.
- Date it happened
- 2023-01-01
- Organisation involved
- Paraná state education department (Secretaria da Educação do Paraná)
- Product, system or model
- LRCO Paraná
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