Tech Roundup: National ID card — surveillance or data security?

This week. Brazil launches a unified ID card to improve security. Big tech says Brazil’s “fake news bill” threatens “free internet” in the country. Global hiring in tech skyrockets in Latin America. 

Government creates national ID card to improve security

President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree this week creating a unified national identity card for Brazilians. — as things stand, IDs are issued by state administrations, with each following its own standards. The government hopes the new document will simplify Brazilians’ lives, improve data security, and prevent cases of identity theft.

Changes. Individual taxpayer numbers (the so-called CPF) will now be the main identification used for all citizens. IDs will continue being issued by state agencies, but they will now be standardized countrywide.

• The new ID will be valid for 10 years for Brazilians aged 59 or less, while senior citizens will not have expiry dates. Identities will be verified through a single government platform.
• Citizens will also be able to access their new ID cards digitally, using QR codes.

Dates. State agencies will have to adapt to the new ID rules by March 6, 2023, but it remains uncertain when the document will be issued.

Security. The government says the new document is safer because it will allow for electronic validation, even when offline. Justice Minister Anderson Torres says Brazilians can currently issue different ID numbers in each of the country’s 27 states — which facilitates fraud. That will no longer be possible with the CPF as the main number of identification.

• As soon as the decree comes into effect, Brazilians trying to obtain an ID card in another state will only receive a duplicate...