Under Bolsonaro, ABIN (Brazilian Intelligence Agency) used a secret espionage system to monitor and locate Brazilians in real time.
The use of the Israeli software FirstMile resulted in internal questioning within ABIN itself, due to the agency not having legal authorization to access private data.
247 - The Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) maintained a system for monitoring and locating Brazilians throughout the national territory during the first three years of Jair Bolsonaro's (PL) government. According to the newspaper The GlobeThe Israeli software "FirstMile" made it possible to monitor and track up to 10 cell phone owners every 12 months, simply by entering their contact numbers.
"The practice has raised questions among the agency's own members, as the agency does not have legal authorization to access private data. The case prompted the opening of an internal investigation and, according to experts, the surveillance may also violate the right to privacy. When contacted, ABIN said that contractual confidentiality prevents it from commenting," the report highlights.
The tool, developed by the Israeli company Cognyte (formerly Verint), was acquired without bidding for R$ 5,7 million in 2018, during the government of Michel Temer (MDB), and was used by the Bolsonaro administration until 2021. The manufacturer was represented in Brazil by Caio Cruz, son of General Santos Cruz, former minister in the Jair Bolsonaro government.
“Members of ABIN report that the mechanism was used without the need for records about what searches were carried out. In practice, any cell phone could be monitored by the program without official justification,” highlights a section of the report. The irregular use of the tool generated questions within ABIN itself and led to the opening of an internal procedure to investigate the criteria used by the agency to spy on Brazilian citizens.
When questioned about the case, former ABIN chief Alexandre Ramagem (PL-RJ), elected federal deputy with Bolsonaro's support, avoided speaking about the matter. "That's ABIN's responsibility. There's a contract, everything's in order. The hiring process is completely legal. If there are any questions, they should be directed to ABIN," he said.