Surveillance trends and practices in Latin America. Case studies from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru and Paraguay

This report explores how surveillance practices have expanded in Latin America in recent years, marked by advances in digital technologies and a lack of adequate regulations. Through the analysis of cases in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, there is evidence of a growing adoption of video surveillance systems, facial recognition, social media monitoring, and mass data collection by the state, often without transparency or democratic control.

The report warns about the normalization of these practices under the guise of security, crime fighting, or health control, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also highlights the participation of private companies and international actors in the provision of technologies, often without frameworks that guarantee the protection of fundamental rights such as privacy, freedom of expression, and non-discrimination. It concludes that the region faces a silent expansion of surveillance systems that requires urgent responses: robust legislation, accountability mechanisms, citizen participation, and human rights-based governance.