This is an exploratory investigation into the Electronic Monitoring Devices Control System (SIMDEC) and other gender-based violence response technologies implemented in Paraguay since December 2024. The study, carried out by Antonia Bogado and Araceli Ram\u00edrez, combines a review of legislation, public information access requests, interviews with key authorities, and a comparative analysis with Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Spain. Its central aim is to critically examine what kind of security this technology builds, at the expense of which rights, and under what institutional conditions it actually operates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the main challenges identified are the system’s strong dependence on electrical infrastructure and connectivity in order to function, the absence of a fully effective data protection law during its rollout, the opacity surrounding the governance of the information generated, and the unequal levels of transparency among state institutions. The report also highlights the economic cost of the measure, which falls partly on the aggressors and limits equitable access to it, as well as the system’s dependence on a private provider for its technical operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the most significant findings, the investigation shows that the system draws victims into the surveillance circuit itself, through a cellphone and the Empower app, shifting onto them burdens such as keeping the device charged, maintaining connectivity, and remaining constantly available. It also reveals that the vast majority of the alerts generated by the system do not correspond to actual violations of the measure but rather to technical failures, and that there is a marked asymmetry between SIMDEC’s capacity to record data and its capacity to publicly account for its functioning and effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n