Did you know that a technology could keep you off the field? #NotWithMyFace

The use of facial recognition technologies in football stadiums is already a reality in Paraguay. This raises many questions and concerns: What are the risks of this technology? Who controls our biometric data? For what purposes? If I haven’t done anything wrong, why are they watching me? These are just some of the questions we aim to address with our new campaign #NotWithMyFace.

Through this campaign, we seek to inform and provide resources to everyone interested, especially football fans, about the use of facial recognition in stadiums, the implications of the Anti-Violence in Sports Law enacted in June 2024, and the risks of its implementation in Paraguay. We want fans to understand the situation and, collectively, along with civil society and the technical community, demand the respect of our personal data and privacy.

A campaign created with and for fans

Using accessible language and the typical vocabulary of football fans, this campaign aims to explain in a playful way how facial recognition technologies work in stadiums. We not only provide information about what this technology is, but we also offer practical tools so that fans know what to do if the technology fails. Additionally, we want to make accessible how fans from other countries, such as Chile, Brazil, and Spain, are addressing this issue, showing that this is a regional and global trend. Through these international experiences, we aim to highlight that, as fans, we can drive change in favor of respecting our privacy and our rights, inspired by collective actions.

A united fanbase

To build and carry out this campaign, we held meetings throughout July and August withhttps://conmicarano.tedic.org fans from Cerro Porteño, Olimpia, and Sportivo Luqueño. The most recurring themes were the unjustified criminalization of fans, the lack of transparency from sports authorities, and injustices committed by the National Police during sporting events. Concerns were also raised about the forced collection of biometric data by clubs and companies, without consent and without a data protection law in Paraguay. Fans’ stories about cases in Brazil, where people were unjustly detained by facial recognition cameras, highlighted the importance of addressing these and other issues collectively.

Drums, horns, and hats: resources developed for the campaign

To inform and empower fans, we have developed a series of resources:

• Informational flyers and a dedicated website at conmicarano.tedic.org, detailing the situation of facial recognition technology in Paraguay.
• A zine with information about biometric data, technology failures, and legal guides on what to do if detained by mistake.
• Public advertising to reach as many fans as possible.
• Themed masks to demand the protection of our personal data and respect for our privacy.
• Coming soon: a detailed investigation on the acquisition and use of this technology in Paraguay.

All fans can access these resources at conmicarano.tedic.org, where they will find all the materials and can download the zine, masks, and other campaign assets. They can also follow the campaign and find explanatory flyers on our social media.

Get in the game

Learn more and join the campaign at conmicarano.tedic.org!

#NotWithMyFace, a sub-campaign of #MyDataMyRights.