SENSITIVE DATA AS A CENTRAL FACTOR IN ALGORITHMIC DISCRIMINATION
Critical Analysis of Social Implications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63601/bcesmpu.2026.n67.e-67tc01Keywords:
algorithmic discrimination, sensitive data, LGPD, non- -discrimination, automated decision-makingAbstract
Technological advancement and the growing presence of algorithms in complex decision-making have transformed areas such as credit, health, security, and justice. Despite their promise of objectivity, these systems carry a significant risk: the reproduction and intensification of historical prejudices. This phenomenon occurs primarily through the direct or inferred use of sensitive data, which is intrinsically linked to human identity and dignity, such as race, religion, and health, making it the central factor in the occurrence of discrimination. This article critically analyzes algorithmic discrimination and its inseparable relationship with sensitive data, highlighting the severe resulting social risks and the importance of the principle of non-discrimination provided for in Brazil's General Data Protection Law (LGPD) as a protective mechanism. It is thus proposed to discuss essential regulatory and ethical measures to mitigate such impacts and promote the responsible and equitable use of technology, ensuring the protection of fundamental rights in the digital environment.
References
AJUNWA, Ifeoma. The paradox of automation as anti-bias intervention. Cardozo Law Review, Nova York, v. 41, n. 5, p. 1671-1702, 2020. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/2z6ch8sz . Acesso em: 7 maio 2026.
BAROCAS, Solon; HARDT, Moritz; NARAYANAN, Arvind. Fairness and machine learning: limitations and opportunities. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2019.
BAROCAS, Solon; SELBST, Andrew D. Big data’s disparate impact. California Law Review, Berkeley-California, v. 104, n. 3, p. 671-732, 2016.
BIONI, Bruno Ricardo. Proteção de dados pessoais: a função e os limites do consentimento. Rio de Janeiro: Forense, 2019.
BRASIL. Congresso Nacional. Senado Federal. Projeto de Lei n. 2.338, de 2023. Dispõe sobre o uso da Inteligência Artificial. Brasília: Senado Federal, 2023. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/76fz639t. Acesso em: 9 maio 2026.
BRASIL. Lei n. 13.709, de 14 de agosto de 2018. Dispõe sobre a proteção de dados pessoais e altera a Lei n. 12.965, de 23 de abril de 2014 (Marco Civil da Internet). Diário Oficial da União, Brasília, 15 ago. 2018. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/2x797zr9. Acesso em: 28 jul. 2025.
BROWN, Simone. Dark matters: on the surveillance of blackness. Durham: Duke University Press, 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822375302
BUOLAMWINI, Joy; GEBRU, Timnit. Gender shades: intersectional accuracy disparities in commercial gender classification. Proceedings of Machine Learning Research, [s. l.], v. 81, p. 1-15, 2018. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/yjbb98mk. Acesso em: 7 maio 2026.
CFPB – CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU. Consumer financial protection circular 2022-03: adverse action notification requirements in connection with credit decisions based on complex algorithms. Washington: CFPB, 2022.
CITRON, Danielle K.; PASQUALE, Frank A. The scored society: due process for automated predictions. Washington Law Review, Seattle-WA, v. 89, n. 1, p. 1-33, 2014.
DASTIN, Jeffrey. Amazon scraps secret AI recruiting tool that showed bias against women. Reuters, San Francisco, 10 out. 2018. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/ykxz2rc4. Acesso em: 28 jul. 2025.
DONEDA, Danilo. Da privacidade à proteção de dados pessoais: fundamentos da Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados. 2. ed. São Paulo: Revista dos Tribunais, 2020.
DUTRA, Daniele. Mulher é confundida com foragida por sistema facial da PM: “Racismo”. UOL Notícias, Rio de Janeiro, 11 jul. 2024. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/3wruztcw. Acesso em: 7 ago. 2024.
ESTADOS UNIDOS – EUA. Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). Pub. L. No. 93-495, 15 U.S.C. § 1691 et seq. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1974.
ESTADOS UNIDOS – EUA. Fair Housing Act. Pub. L. No. 90-284, Title VIII, 82 Stat. 81, 42 U.S.C. § 3601 et seq. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1968.
ESTADOS UNIDOS – EUA. Federal Reserve History. Redlining. Federal Reserve History, Washington, 2 jun. 2023. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/2cj65mtc. Acesso em: 6 maio 2026.
FEENBERG, Andrew. Transforming technology: a critical theory revisited. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195146158.001.0001
FRAZÃO, Ana. Discriminação algorítmica: ciência dos dados como ação política. Jota Info, São Paulo, 2021a. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/mrer8zz4. Acesso em: 10 ago. 2024.
FRAZÃO, Ana. Discriminação algorítmica: por que algoritmos preocupam quando acertam e erram? Jota Info, São Paulo, 2021b. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/3xvdueuu. Acesso em: 28 jul. 2025.
FRAZÃO, Ana. Discriminação algorítmica: a responsabilidade dos programadores e das empresas. Jota Info, São Paulo, 2021c. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/yx88ck2j . Acesso em: 10 ago. 2024.
GEBRU, Timnit et al. Datasheets for datasets. Communications of the ACM, Nova York, v. 64, n. 12, p. 86-92, 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3458723. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3458723
KITCHIN, Rob. The Data revolution: Big Data, open data, data infrastructures and their consequences. London: SAGE Publications, 2017.
KONDER, Carlos Nelson. O tratamento de dados sensíveis à luz da Lei 13.709/2018. In: TEPEDINO, Gustavo; FRAZÃO, Ana; OLIVA, Milena Donato (coord.). Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados Pessoais e suas repercussões no Direito brasileiro. 2. ed. São Paulo: Thomson Reuters Brasil, 2020. p. 441-459.
LUM, Kristian; ISAAC, William. To predict and serve? Predictive policing and law enforcement. Significance, London, v. 13, n. 5, p. 14-19, out. 2016. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/4mmhu6tu . Acesso em: 6 maio 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-9713.2016.00960.x
MANN, Monique; MATZNER, Tobias. Challenging algorithmic profiling: The limits of data protection and anti-discrimination in responding to emergent discrimination. Big Data & Society, [s. l.] v. 6, n. 2, p. 1-11, jul./dez. 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951719895805. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2053951719895805
MITCHELL, Margaret et al. Model cards for model reporting. In: CONFERENCE ON FAIRNESS, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND TRANSPARENCY (FAT*), Atlanta, 2019. Proceedings [...]. Nova York: ACM, 2019. p. 220-229. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3287560.3287596. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3287560.3287596
NOBLE, Safiya Umoja. Algorithms of oppression: how search engines reinforce racism. New York: NYU Press, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9781479833641.001.0001
O’NEIL, Cathy. Weapons of math destruction: how Big Data increases inequality and threatens democracy. New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2016.
PASQUALE, Frank. The black box society: the secret algorithms that control money and information. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2015. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674736061
PAUL, Kari. Health care algorithm used in US hospitals favors white patients over sicker black patients. The Guardian, Londres, 25 out. 2019. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/98hv8sua. Acesso em: set. 2026.
PROPUBLICA; ANGWIN, Julia et al. Machine Bias: There’s software used across the country to predict future criminals. And it’s biased against blacks. ProPublica, Nova Iorque, 23 maio 2016. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/2s4758we. Acesso em: 28 jul. 2025.
SILVA, Matheus Thiago Domingos da. Vieses em algoritmos de reconhecimento facial. Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (Bacharelado em Ciência da Computação) – Centro de Engenharia Elétrica e Informática, Universidade de Campina Grande, Campina Grande, 2024. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/49tbth3x. Acesso em: 7 maio 2026.
SOLOVE, Daniel J. Data is what data does: regulating based on harm and risk instead of sensitive data. GWU Legal Studies Research Paper, Washington, D.C., n. 2023-22, jan. 2023. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/tkvaf37w. Acesso em: 7 maio 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4322198
SRNICEK, Nick. Platform Capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2017.
UNIÃO EUROPEIA. Regulamento (UE) 2016/679 do Parlamento Europeu e do Conselho, de 27 de abril de 2016. Relativo à proteção das pessoas singulares no que diz respeito ao tratamento de dados pessoais e à livre circulação desses dados e que revoga a Diretiva 95/46/CE (Regulamento Geral sobre a Proteção de Dados). Jornal Oficial da União Europeia, Luxemburgo, 4 maio 2016. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/4j4h5hfe. Acesso em: 28 jul. 2025.
UNIÃO EUROPEIA. Regulamento (UE) 2024/1689 do Parlamento Europeu e do Conselho, de 13 de junho de 2024. Estabelece regras harmonizadas em matéria de inteligência artificial (Regulamento da Inteligência Artificial) e que altera os Regulamentos (CE) n. 300/2008, (UE) n. 167/2013, (UE) n. 168/2013, (UE) 2018/858, (UE) 2018/1139 e (UE) 2019/2144 e as Diretivas 2014/90/UE, (UE) 2016/797 e (UE) 2020/1828. Jornal Oficial da União Europeia, Luxemburgo, 12 jul. 2024. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/42kr84bp. Acesso em: 9 maio 2026.
VIGDOR, Neil. Apple Card investigated after gender discrimination complaints. The New York Times, Nova Iorque, 10 nov. 2019. Disponível em: https://tinyurl.com/jtvspr2s. Acesso em: 28 jul. 2025.
WACHTER, Sandra; MITTELSTADT, Brent. A right to reasonable inferences: re-thinking data protection law in the age of Big Data and AI. Columbia Business Law Review, New York, v. 2019, n. 2, p. 494-620, 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31228/osf.io/mu2kf
WINNER, Langdon. The whale and the reactor: a search for limits in an age of high technology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986.
ZARSKY, Tal Z. The trouble with algorithmic decisions: an analytic road map to examine efficiency and fairness in automated and opaque decision making. Science, Technology, & Human Values, [s. l.], v. 41, n. 1, p. 118-132, 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0162243915605575
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Thiago Duarte Mesquita

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.