How a Facebook photo led to 62 false charges against an innocent doorman in Brazil
FirstpostDespite guidelines issued in 2022 requiring more rigorous investigation and barring photo recognition as sole evidence, the practice persists and cases like Costa’s are persistent. In 2023 alone, the Supreme Court overturned 377 wrongful convictions based on flawed photo or in-person recognition. The charges were based solely on witness or victim identifications from photos taken from Costa’s Facebook profile, which had somehow been added to a “suspect album.” These albums, commonly used by Brazilian police, lack regulation and are notorious for racial bias and wrongful convictions especially against Black people. Despite guidelines issued in 2022 requiring more rigorous investigation and barring photo recognition as sole evidence, the practice persists, with police often relying on hastily assembled suspect albums.
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