The Twisted Eye in the Sky Over Buenos Aires

In his investigations, Gallardo repeatedly came up against restrictions. The city refused to tell him which company provided the algorithm used by the facial recognition cameras and how it works. Even under oath, an employee of the local company that installed the cameras, Danaide, refused to talk. It’s also unclear why, according to media reports, Danaide was awarded the contract just six minutes after the tender for the facial recognition system was published.

Then, shortly after our interview, Gallardo was removed from the case at the request of the City of Buenos Aires for alleged bias and exceeding his competence. The ex-minister accused Gallardo of malice, tergiversation, and of having staged a "media show" by publishing the names of public figures whose biometric data had been retrieved by the city. More than a dozen judges had previously backed Gallardo in a letter, without success.

The judge sued the minister. The minister sued the judge. The question remains: Was he really biased—or was his research proving inconvenient for the city?

The All-Watching Eye

When speaking of South America, mass surveillance technology is likely not the first thing that comes to mind. But a study by the data protection organization Access Now shows Argentina is one of the most surveilled countries in the region, along with Brazil and Ecuador. There are more than 15,000 surveillance cameras in Buenos Aires alone. Facial recognition systems also are in use in the cities of Mendoza, Córdoba, Salta, San Juan, Tigre, and San Salvador de Jujuy. While US cities like San Francisco and Boston have banned real-time facial recognition in public spaces, South America is investing. Critics see this as a worst-case scenario: The technology is being used without an adequate regulatory framework and sufficient controls.

A walk through the center of Buenos Aires shows there are cameras just about everywhere. The sun is shining on Plaza de Mayo, the square in front of the pink government building that is particularly well monitored and the right place to ask passersby what they think of the massive surveillance. Conclusion: Hardly anyone is bothered. We talk with young folks and older ones, with women and men in business outfits, with people in T-shirts and jeans, with street vendors. They say the cameras are good; they make them feel more safe. No one has heard anything about the data scandal uncovered by the judiciary. Hearing about it doesn't worry them. They have other concerns. A May 2023 study by an opinion research institute shows that high inflation—115 percent last year—and crime top Argentines' list of concerns.