World Cup Surveillance, AI Use in LatAm, and Other Tech Clicks from the Americas

As the FIFA World Cup kicks off, the host nations, the United States, Mexico, and Canada, are implementing extensive security measures, deploying a wide array of surveillance technologies. While these measures aim to ensure safety during the numerous matches and associated events, civil organizations are raising alarms about potential infringements on civil liberties.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has issued travel warnings, citing concerns about the "repression of freedom of expression and protest." Technologies in use include advanced drone and counter-drone systems from companies like Fortem Technologies, Sentrycs, and Axon. Facial recognition systems are also deployed, alongside Boston Dynamics robot dogs equipped with cameras capable of identifying faces. Lenovo, an official FIFA partner, manages the command center monitoring crowd movements and tracking devices in real-time.

Inside the matches, technology plays a crucial role for referees and officials. The Hawk-Eye system, for instance, uses 16 high-resolution cameras to track over two dozen skeletal points on each player, providing detailed positional data. FIFA's director of innovation, Johannes Holzmüller, highlighted the use of 'digital twins', virtual replicas of players matching their physical dimensions, to precisely determine player positions relative to the ball and opponents. Art Hu, global innovation director at Lenovo, noted these scanners achieve 1-2 millimeter accuracy, a significant improvement over conventional avatars.

Meanwhile, the global adoption of Artificial Intelligence continues to grow. A report by the Microsoft AI Economy Institute indicates that AI usage among the working-age population rose globally from 16.3% to 17.8% in 2026. Latin America shows high adoption rates, with Costa Rica leading at 28.5%, followed by the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Colombia, and Chile. However, the report also highlights an expanding AI gap between the Global North and South, with developed economies at 27.5% adoption compared to 15.4% in emerging economies. In a separate development, the U.S. government has urged the dismissal of a lawsuit against Elon Musk's xAI, citing national security interests related to data centers developing "essential models for the economy and the War Department."