The Itaipu Technological Park Foundation (PTI-PY) has opened a bidding process worth approximately G. 11 billion to acquire cellular interception equipment, including IMSI catchers, interception drones, cell tower scanners, and wifi monitoring devices, destined for the National Police.
The organization Tedic warned that the use of these devices violates fundamental rights and weakens basic principles of the rule of law, such as the right to privacy, personal data protection, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, as well as the presumption of innocence, by treating everyone under surveillance as suspects without justification.
According to Tedic, an IMSI catcher impersonates a mobile phone tower to intercept and collect data from all cell phones connected within its range, capturing unique identifiers such as the SIM card's IMSI and the device's IMEI without users' knowledge. Once connected, the device can obtain an approximate location, identify the number linked to the SIM, interrupt or block calls and messages, and, in some cases, force network downgrading from 4G to 2G, making it more vulnerable to the interception of unencrypted communications.
The organization also cautioned that, in protest contexts, IMSI catchers can be used to identify everyone present by collecting the unique numbers from their mobile phones, which would violate the rights to privacy, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly.
In 2021, Tedic requested public information to find out whether the Paraguayan state had acquired or was using IMSI catchers. The National Police's response was ambiguous: it could neither confirm nor deny their use in Paraguay, which, according to the organization, leaves citizens in a state of uncertainty and vulnerability.
Cybersecurity expert Luis Benítez stated that if the use of this equipment is not prohibited, it should be. He noted that intelligence services already have other means to monitor and record conversations without the catchers, and that these devices serve more to confuse and isolate targets in field operations. Benítez added that he was unfamiliar with Paraguayan legislation but considered it likely that the practice is prohibited.
The bidding terms require bidders to prove specific experience in supplying IMSI catcher equipment carried out in Paraguay or the region within the last seven years, which, in practice, almost automatically restricts the pool of potential suppliers to the same companies that have already won previous contracts.