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Argentina

Argentina

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Contributor: Victoria Penas
Organization: Association for Civil Rights
(Asociación por los Derechos Civiles-ADC) 
Last update:

Chapeau

To fully understand the logic behind the digital ID regulations in Argentina, it is fundamental to address the fact that the whole population registry and identification system was firstly regulated under the rule of a military dictatorship, in a context of institutional paralysis. Even the vocabulary of the legislation back then left no doubt about the indifference towards a human rights approach. Since then, democratic governments have relied on this foundation to implement digital identification systems. Often these systems were implemented without public debate or human rights impact assessments. As a result the laws have been “weak” and the privacy protection authority in Argentina has proposed new regulations based on these previously omitted procedures.

  • Governments rely on Law N° 17.671 for the amplification of identification systems. The legality of most biometric identification systems is based on Article 9, which enables the National People’s Registry (RENAPER, for its name in Spanish) to collect birth testimonies, pictures, fingerprints, blood type information and any other relevant identification element.[1]
  • In 2019, the City of Buenos Aires created SRPF, a facial recognition system for fugitives. This system was implemented through an administrative resolution and a formal legal project did not arrive until the next year. Part of this 2020 formal legal project was a commitment to create an oversight board for surveillance systems but the city parliament did not create one until 2022.[2]

[1]  Ucciferri, Leandro. “Tu Yo Digital – Descubriendo Las Narrativas Sobre Identidad y Biometría En América Latina.” Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, October 14, 2022. https://adc.org.ar/informes/tu-yo-digital-descubriendo-las-narrativas-sobre-identidad-y-biometria-en-america-latina/.

[2] Ucciferri, Leandro, and Adc. “Avanza La Regulación Del Reconocimiento Facial En La Legislatura Porteña.” Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, September 21, 2020. https://adc.org.ar/2020/09/18/avanza-la-regulacion-del-reconocimiento-facial-en-la-legislatura-portena/.

  • Digital Identity is defined by the RENAPER as the technological process that allows peoples remote ID validation in real time, through the biometric authentication provided by a mobile device after taking a facial picture and comparing it with the corresponding ID from the National People’s Registry database.[1]
  • The new regulation drafted and proposed by the AAIP (discussed in 1.3, below), includes a definition for biometric information that includes all personal data obtained by a specific technical treatment, related to physical and behavioral features, that uniquely allow to confirm a person’s identity, and it should be considered sensitive information whenever its use allows a discriminatory treatment.[2]

[1]  Servicios.infoleg.gob.ar. Accessed August 29, 2023. https://servicios.infoleg.gob.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/155000-159999/159070/norma.htm.

[2]  Ucciferri, Leandro. “Tu Yo Digital – Descubriendo Las Narrativas Sobre Identidad y Biometría En América Latina.” Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, October 14, 2022. https://adc.org.ar/informes/tu-yo-digital-descubriendo-las-narrativas-sobre-identidad-y-biometria-en-america-latina/.

  • The protection of personal data is constitutionally regulated in Argentina as the citizens’ right to access their personal information and require any action that is needed when they are inaccurate or discriminatory. The current National Data Protection Law, enacted in 2000, widens the constitutional definition and specifies the rights of the data owners, but does not include any reference to biometric data.[1]
  • The Public Information Access Agency (AAIP), also known as the data protection enforcement authority, began a public process of debate towards a new regulation in 2022. A draft was presented to Parliament, “this month”.. This draft includes new measures to address modern data exploitation models, requirements of transparency and accountability for data collectors, and prior human rights impact assessments for any data collection systems.[2]

[1] Id.

[2] Diego Fernandez, Josefina Barbero. “Se Presentó Ante El Congreso Nacional Argentino Un Nuevo Proyecto de Ley Para Reemplazar La Actual Ley de Protección de Datos Personales.” Se presentó ante el Congreso Nacional argentino un nuevo proyecto de ley para reemplazar la actual Ley de Protección de Datos Personales, August 1, 2023. https://iapp.org/news/a/se-presento-ante-el-congreso-nacional-argentino-un-nuevo-proyecto-de-ley-para-reemplazar-la-actual-ley-de-proteccion-de-datos-personales/.

  • The National People’s Registry (RENAPER):
    • RENAPER, as a biometric identification system and database, collecting birth testimonies, pictures, fingerprints, blood type information and any other relevant identification element.[1]
    • RENAPER, for a digital identification system, to classify citizens’ information and issue IDs.[2]
  • The federal biometric identification system (SIBIOS):
    • Created for security purposes and operated by the Federal Police with supervision by the National Ministry of Security. [3]
    • Technologies now include other purposes such as social security systems, banking duties and education systems, and others. [4]
  • Eligibility criteria and remedies not mentioned in the report.

[1] Ucciferri, Leandro. “Tu Yo Digital – Descubriendo Las Narrativas Sobre Identidad y Biometría En América Latina.” Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, October 14, 2022. https://adc.org.ar/informes/tu-yo-digital-descubriendo-las-narrativas-sobre-identidad-y-biometria-en-america-latina/.

[2]  Servicios.infoleg.gob.ar. Accessed August 29, 2023. https://servicios.infoleg.gob.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/155000-159999/159070/norma.htm.

[3] Ucciferri, Leandro. “Tu Yo Digital – Descubriendo Las Narrativas Sobre Identidad y Biometría En América Latina.” Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, October 14, 2022. https://adc.org.ar/informes/tu-yo-digital-descubriendo-las-narrativas-sobre-identidad-y-biometria-en-america-latina/.

[4] ADC. “Tecnologías de Vigilancia En Argentina.” Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, October 14, 2022. https://adc.org.ar/informes/tecnologias-de-vigilancia-en-argentina/.

  • Not mentioned in the report.
  • No, the whole population registry and identification system was firstly regulated under the rule of a military dictatorship, in a context of institutional paralysis. The further implementation of digital identification systems in Argentina has been weak in terms of legal procedure. The deployment of the aforementioned tools demanded a certain level of public debate that was not granted by the authorities.[1]
  • The new regulation proposed by the AAIP was initiated by a public process of debate. A final draft has been presented to Parliament.[2]

[1] The National Law N° 17,671 referred to the “identification registry and classification of human potential”, therefore posing citizens as mere economic assets.

[2]  “Nuevo Proyecto de Ley de Protección de Datos Personales.” Argentina.gob.ar, August 2, 2023. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/aaip/datospersonales/proyecto-ley-datos-pervsonales.

  • No, the identification system was firstly regulated under the rule of a military dictatorship, in a context of institutional paralysis. Even the vocabulary of the legislation back then left no doubt about the indifference towards a human rights approach.[1]
  • The new regulation proposed by the AAIP includes prior human rights impact assessments to determine the legitimacy of any data collection systems.[2]

[1] “Nuevo Proyecto de Ley de Protección de Datos Personales.” Argentina.gob.ar, August 2, 2023. https://www.argentina.gob.ar/aaip/datospersonales/proyecto-ley-datos-pervsonales.

[2]  Diego Fernandez, Josefina Barbero. “Se Presentó Ante El Congreso Nacional Argentino Un Nuevo Proyecto de Ley Para Reemplazar La Actual Ley de Protección de Datos Personales.” Se presentó ante el Congreso Nacional argentino un nuevo proyecto de ley para reemplazar la actual Ley de Protección de Datos Personales, August 1, 2023. https://iapp.org/news/a/se-presento-ante-el-congreso-nacional-argentino-un-nuevo-proyecto-de-ley-para-reemplazar-la-actual-ley-de-proteccion-de-datos-personales/.

  • Not mentioned in the report.
  • Not specifically mentioned in the report, however, RENAPER is used to collect birth testimonies, classify citizens’ information and issue their IDs.[1]

[1] Ucciferri, Leandro. “Tu Yo Digital – Descubriendo Las Narrativas Sobre Identidad y Biometría En América Latina.” Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, October 14, 2022. https://adc.org.ar/informes/tu-yo-digital-descubriendo-las-narrativas-sobre-identidad-y-biometria-en-america-latina/.

  • No formal court cases. The City of Buenos Aires did register cases of people who were wrongly identified as fugitives while moving through public spaces from their SRPF, facial recognition system. [1]

[1] Hayon, Alejandra. “Seis Días Arrestado Por Un Error Del Sistema de Reconocimiento Facial: La Pesadilla de Guillermo Ibarrola, Víctima Del Gran Hermano Porteño.” PAGINA12. Accessed August 29, 2023. https://www.pagina12.com.ar/209910-seis-dias-arrestado-por-un-error-del-sistema-de-reconocimien

  • The legal framework for the Digital ID system was rolled out in 2009. This authorized the existing National People’s Registry to use technology for the purpose of classifying citizens’ information and issuing IDs.[1]
  • Two years later, SIBIOS was created for security purposes and then the technology began to be used for other areas such as social security programs, banking duties, education systems, “among others”.[2]

[1]  Servicios.infoleg.gob.ar. Accessed August 29, 2023. https://servicios.infoleg.gob.ar/infolegInternet/anexos/155000-159999/159070/norma.htm.

[2] ADC. “Tecnologías de Vigilancia En Argentina.” Asociación por los Derechos Civiles, October 14, 2022. https://adc.org.ar/informes/tecnologias-de-vigilancia-en-argentina/.

  • None mentioned in the report.
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