Tech roundup: Digital addresses reaching more Brazilian favelas

Image: Nemanja Cosovic/Shutterstock

Welcome to our Tech Roundup, where we bring you the biggest stories in technology and innovation in Brazil and Latin America. This week: Residents of 20 Brazilian favelas will get Google Plus codes by the end of the year.

Google expands digital address project with partners

After enabling more than 14,000 digital addresses in Paraisópolis, a large favela in São Paulo, last year, Google is bringing its Plus Codes technology to 20 more urban locations.

Why it matters. A postal code is a basic piece of information for Brazilian citizens to access virtually everything, from registering at a public health center to participating in the country’s census — and many homes located inside favelas do not have official zip codes.

According to a study by Data Favela and the Instituto Locomotiva, some 36.2 million people in Brazil’s favelas are unable to receive packages or access services because they do not have a postal code.
This means that they also represent an untapped market for millions of businesses. Another study by Data Favela, Instituto Locomotiva, and Cufa, an NGO working in Brazilian urban favelas, estimated the spending power of these communities at more than BRL 202 billion (USD 41 billion) per year.

Context. In 2019, the state government of São...

Fabiane Ziolla Menezes

Former editor-in-chief of LABS (Latin America Business Stories), Fabiane has more than 15 years of experience reporting on business, finance, innovation, and cities in Brazil. The latter recently took her back to the classroom and made her a Master in Urban Management from PUCPR. At TBR, she keeps an eye on economic policy, game-changing businesses, and people driving innovation in Latin America.