Assembling Smart Sampa: A Socio-Technical Analysis of Urban Security and Facial Recognition Surveillance in São Paulo
Anjos, Ligia Ribeiro dos (2026)
2026
Master's Programme in Sustainable Societies and Digitalisation
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2026-06-10
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202606067071
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202606067071
Tiivistelmä
The present study discusses the use of facial recognition technologies for surveillance from a socio-technical perspective. Although the topic is often addressed from the perspectives of regulation, trust, and technical implementation, this thesis proposes an analysis grounded in Actor-Network Theory (ANT), by Bruno Latour, applied to a concrete case: the Smart Sampa program, implemented in São Paulo, Brazil, which uses facial recognition in cameras distributed throughout the city. Using thematic analysis, the author analyzed official program documents, judicial processes, interview transcripts, and records from a technical visit. This research is particularly relevant in light of the growing adoption of artificial intelligence in public security, raising questions about governance, accountability, and social impact.
The results demonstrate that, although the network and the program appear stable at first glance, intense disputes are underway. The controversies concern the government's use of facial recognition, which, according to some actors, is biased and may pose risks to the population, as well as the loss of fundamental human rights. It is concluded that the implementation of Smart Sampa highlights the limitations of the technocentric approach and the complexity of developing public security policies with the active involvement of the population. The analysis indicates that the attempt to prematurely close the black box of Smart Sampa, without proper mediation with the collective, resulted in a network saturated with unresolved controversies. The lack of public participation and control mechanisms shifts part of the population from a position of alignment to a stance of contestation. Consequently, the program remains in a state of instability, subject to drastic reconfigurations as actors mobilize legal and social resources to challenge the network imposed by the city administration.
The results demonstrate that, although the network and the program appear stable at first glance, intense disputes are underway. The controversies concern the government's use of facial recognition, which, according to some actors, is biased and may pose risks to the population, as well as the loss of fundamental human rights. It is concluded that the implementation of Smart Sampa highlights the limitations of the technocentric approach and the complexity of developing public security policies with the active involvement of the population. The analysis indicates that the attempt to prematurely close the black box of Smart Sampa, without proper mediation with the collective, resulted in a network saturated with unresolved controversies. The lack of public participation and control mechanisms shifts part of the population from a position of alignment to a stance of contestation. Consequently, the program remains in a state of instability, subject to drastic reconfigurations as actors mobilize legal and social resources to challenge the network imposed by the city administration.