Argentina Debates Biometrics and Facial Recognition

Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies published file 0837-D-2026 on March 26, 2026, covering biometric data protection and facial recognition regulation. At the same time, GDPRI’s tracking places a broader personal data reform in committee, along with Carro/Doñate initiatives introduced in February 2026, with no passage or committee report as of the latest update.

What does the parliamentary status of these initiatives show?

Legislative records and specialized monitoring agree that the bills are still under review and have not reached final approval. The lower house published the list of bills from the Criminal Legislation Committee, including file 0837-D-2026, while GDPRI says the Carro/Doñate and Yeza initiatives were introduced within the last 180 days relative to the reference date of its report and that none made it out of committee.

What does the Yeza bill propose?

According to GDPRI’s analysis, the text draws on regulatory models from South Korea, the United Kingdom and Singapore, along with the influence of the GDPR. Among its changes, it would add six legal bases other than consent for processing personal data, including legitimate interest, contract performance, legal obligations, vital interest, public interest and a legitimate-interest formula that explicitly mentions training artificial intelligence systems, subject to a balancing test for rights.

What does the collections bill change?

The bill promoted by Congressman Castagneto seeks to strengthen Law 24.240 to limit the use of personal data in out-of-court debt collection efforts. The proposal adds Article 8 ter, which would require respect for the consumer’s dignity, privacy, honor, intimacy and personal data, and it amends Article 37 to treat as abusive any clauses that allow access to, retention of or use of information from electronic devices for direct or indirect collection purposes.

The proposal also lists address books, contact lists, call logs, social networks, messaging apps, photos and location data as information that could not be used that way. It also says unlawful use of personal data in that context would count as a serious violation for the purposes of punitive damages.

What did Amnesty International ask for?

Amnesty International asked the Argentine government to ban the development, production, sale and use of remote biometric recognition technologies for discriminatory surveillance. The request, reported by EFE, also calls for regulation, oversight and accountability mechanisms for those tools, amid increased use of AI-powered surveillance during Javier Milei’s administration.

Which initiatives remain at the center of the debate?

The facts identified point to two legislative tracks tied to data protection. One is the broad reform monitored by GDPRI, with comparative references and changes to the legal bases for data processing. The other is file 0837-D-2026, already listed by Deputies, which focuses on biometric data protection and facial recognition regulation in committee.