How to Perform People Counting in Compliance with the LGPD

Learn why the LGPD prohibits commercial facial recognition and how AlterVision performs people counting with AI without identifying faces.

With the digital transformation of physical retail, the demand for data such as visitor traffic, conversion rate, and heat maps is increasing. However, a recurring question arises: how can this be done without violating the LGPD? And one point must be clear from the start: AlterVision does not use facial recognition — and could not use it, because the LGPD prohibits facial recognition for commercial purposes in Brazil.

In this article, you will understand how AlterVision ensures full compliance, how its AI works using clothing patterns and non-identifiable characteristics, and why this approach is currently the safest and most modern standard for physical retail.

How to ensure LGPD compliance in people-counting projects

Facial recognition is prohibited for commercial purposes. The LGPD classifies the face as sensitive biometric data, meaning:

• It cannot be captured or processed for commercial purposes.
• It cannot be used to identify consumers inside stores.
• It cannot be used for segmentation, individualized behavioral analysis, or marketing.

Therefore, any flow-counting solution involving facial identification would violate the law. This is why AlterVision does not collect, store, or process faces.

How AlterVision counts people without identifying anyone

AlterVision’s technology is 100% aligned with the LGPD because it excludes employees from the count through uniforms or badges and identifies visitors based on clothing patterns. These elements do not allow individual identification, ensuring total privacy.

Local processing (edge computing): images are processed inside the store and never stored. Only numerical data is saved: traffic, visitor groups, date, and time.

Zero facial recognition and zero biometrics: the platform works only with statistical metadata, never with identifying information.

Automatic exclusion of employees (without facial recognition)

One essential feature is avoiding counting employees so that traffic numbers remain accurate. AlterVision does this without using faces, biometrics, or violating the LGPD.

Exclusion by uniform: the AI recognizes the visual patterns of the store uniform and automatically excludes those who wear it. Badges or visible elements: if the operation uses badges, aprons, or specific visual markers, the AI identifies them and excludes those individuals from the count.

Everything happens by analyzing visual patterns, not identities. No employee is individually identified. No sensitive data is processed.

Why this approach is safer — and more modern

AI based on non-biometric patterns is becoming the standard because it:

• Is lighter, faster, and more accurate for counting.
• Eliminates legal risks.
• Scales without requiring consumer consent.
• Complies with corporate audits and compliance requirements.
• Works in any store format with no complex setup.

This positions AlterVision as an advanced analytics solution that fully respects privacy.

Direct benefits for retail

• 100% LGPD-compliant operation.
• Zero risk of fines for biometric use.
• Higher-quality data (employees removed from traffic counts).
• Faster and safer processing.
• Reliable data for conversion, productivity, and store management.

The LGPD prohibits facial recognition for commercial purposes — and this completely changes how retail must use AI in its stores. AlterVision was built for this reality: it never captures faces, never identifies individuals, and never uses biometrics.

If your company is looking for secure, fully LGPD-compliant visitor counting, AlterVision is the right choice.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does AlterVision use facial recognition? No. Commercial facial recognition is prohibited by the LGPD. AlterVision does not capture, store, or process faces.

2. How is counting performed without identifying people? The AI analyzes clothing and visual patterns, generating only traffic metadata. No biometric characteristics are processed.

3. How does the solution exclude employees from the count? The AI recognizes uniforms, badges, or specific patterns and automatically excludes those individuals — always without personal identification.