OOF-AII-267152
Buenos Aires Government Reportedly Used Children's Personal Data in Facial Recognition System for Fugitives
Beginning in April 2019, the Buenos Aires city government reportedly used data from Argentina’s CONARC fugitive database, including children’s identities and reference photos, in its live Facial Recognition System for Fugitives (SRFP). Human Rights Watch found at least 166 children had appeared in CONARC between 2017 and 2020 and warned that the system exposed them to privacy violations and elevated risks of false matches.
- Event date
- 2019-04-24
- Country
- Argentina
- Severity
- Moderate
- Evidence state
- Single-source
Assessment status
Generated from available public incident evidence using OOF® governance methodology. It is not an official investigation, legal determination, regulatory finding, certification, or OOF® Approved Assessment.
View source record from AI Incident Database (Responsible AI Collaborative)
Assessment confidence dimensions
- Source corroboration
- Single-source
- Extraction completeness
- High
- Methodological assignment confidence
- Moderate
Measures source-group corroboration only; it does not establish factual truth.
Measures populated source fields after deterministic normalization; it does not measure correctness.
Measures automated assignment support; substantive correctness requires authorized human review.
Known facts from the incident record
- The incident record identifies the event date as 2019-04-24.
- The incident record identifies the location as Argentina.
Reported claims
- Beginning in April 2019, the Buenos Aires city government reportedly used data from Argentina’s CONARC fugitive database, including children’s identities and reference photos, in its live Facial Recognition System for Fugitives (SRFP). Human Rights Watch found at least 166 children had appeared in CONARC between 2017 and 2020 and warned that the system exposed them to privacy violations and elevated risks of false matches.
Material unknowns
- Independent corroboration is not established in the available incident record.
Primary governance problem
The incident appears to expose a governance problem involving recognition, enforcement, identification, classification. Available reporting supports preliminary methodological interpretation, not a finding of fault or non-compliance.
Architecture intelligence
VFM® — Value Flow Mechanisms Architecture
Primary architecture
The reported recognition, enforcement, identification concern falls within the governed questions represented by VFM® — Value Flow Mechanisms Architecture.
Governance focus: When can existing value be recognized as value within its defined governance context?
Canonical methodology (ParentStandard):
Preliminary governance questions
- When can existing value be recognized as value within its defined governance context?
- What operational authority and controls applied to Government Of Argentina, Buenos Aires City Government at the relevant time?
- What evidence would establish how Ultraip, Surveillance Technology, Sistema De Reconocimiento Facial De Profugos (Srfp), Law Enforcement Facial Recognition Systems, Facial Recognition Systems, Consulta Nacional De Rebeldias Y Capturas (Conarc), Buenos Aires Live Facial Recognition System, Biometric Data Processing Systems, Ai Identification And Tracking System, Ai Enabled Decision Support Systems produced or enabled the reported outcome?
- What additional independent evidence is required to resolve the material evidence gaps?
Evidence gaps and limitations
- Only one independent source group is represented; corroboration is not established.
- AI technology is not specified in the source record.