Latin America is reeling from the growing influence of tech companies and the rise of a new ideological model called 'tech supremacy.' These developments also bring election interference claims and widespread surveillance.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro alleged that the presidential runoff election held on July 6 was subject to cyber interference. In Peru, candidate Roberto Sanchez claimed fraud in the election following Keiko Fujimori's victory. Neither claim has yet been verified by the judiciary.
The winning candidates share common profiles: far-right politicians who adopt a tough-on-crime discourse, build close relations with the US, and focus on integrating artificial intelligence into law enforcement are rising.
Former US President Donald Trump's 'Trump Corollary' to the Monroe Doctrine and the US National Security Strategy's aim to expand economic and security partnership in the Hemisphere are boosting US influence in the region.
Argentina has become the main testing ground for this new wave in the Global South. US billionaire and PayPal and Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel's relocation to Buenos Aires stood out. The Javier Milei administration passed an incentive package called 'Super RIGI' that offers extreme deregulation, limited liability, and competitive tax conditions for AI investments.
Shortly before Thiel's arrival, Argentina's Ministry of Human Capital announced the creation of a social information integration platform called 'Social Digital Twin' (Gemelo Digital Social). It was stated that the platform aims to detect patterns, simulate scenarios, and project the potential outcomes of public policies. However, the government provided no information on the platform's providers, algorithm training, profiling, personal data protection, or human oversight. A request for information from members of the National Congress to the ministry went unanswered.
Biometric surveillance infrastructure is rapidly expanding in Argentina. In May, the Security Ministry signed an agreement with the FBI for the use of CODIS genetic profiling software and issued a resolution extending mandatory genetic registration to include unconvicted defendants. Simultaneously, Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri announced the city's participation in the 'new DNA Bank for criminals' and launched a selective system called 'Operation Wall' (Operación Muro), described as a barrier at the city limits against the 'barbarism' of the suburbs.
The 'Trump Corollary' builds its intellectual infrastructure through think tanks that formulate discourses of Western supremacy, 'borders and order,' and the criminalization of racialized populations and social protest. Institutions such as the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University host Latin American right-wing leaders from Fujimori to Macri.
