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Company Response

13 Jun 2022

Author:
IDEMIA

Response from IDEMIA to allegations about sale of surveillance technology in Latin America

"In relation to the content of the article “Surveillance Tech in Latin America - Made Abroad, Deployed at Home” which we received via email on June 2nd, we allow ourselves to clarify several aspects that are _ imprecise and/or incorrect regarding Idemia’s technology in Latin America, which is why we consider it of the greatest importance to clarify.

1. Page 27: Countries in which their surveillance technologies are deployed between Argentina, Brazil and Ecuador. Argentina

Idemia does not have any type of surveillance technology in Argentina, Brazil or Ecuador. The systems used by Idemia in these countries are for the use of biometric identification for forensic practice.

2. Page 28: The Federal Police uses Morpho RapiD devices in the field to carry out fingerprint identification of individuals, as well as facial recognition Morpho Face Detective to identify people in crowds.

The Morpho RapID is not facial technology based but uses the fingerprints for stadium physical access control, without any function linked video surveillance.

3. Page 29: The City of Buenos Aires acquired the Morpho Face investigate software from IAFIS Argentina S.A in 2011 for ARS 33,198,500 (more than USD 6 million at the time), and began testing its operation underground to identify to pickpockets.

The system used by the Metropolitan Police of the City of Buenos Aires is not for operation underground to identify pickpockets but judicial investigations.

In the subway of the City of Buenos Aires there is no idemia’s technology involved.

4. Page 39: The Ministry of Security turned to a major supplier for the infrastructure connected to SIBIOS: the French company Morpho Safran, which, as a result of a merger, because IDEMIA. This company is responsible for the installation and configuration of the Ministry´s Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS). The Ministry purchased and used other products from the company, including Morpho Face Investigate Pilot, for facial recognition from photo and video files, and Morpho RapID, for on-site identity verification using fingerprints across the country.

These systems acquired by the Ministry of Security from Idemia, do not include facial recognition solution."

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