Avatar Registration: What it is, how it works, and what the Ministry of Security's new system is used for.

Javier Milei 's government announced this Tuesday the creation of an "avatar registry" as part of the new "digital undercover agents" program, which aims to manage online identities in investigations involving agents infiltrated within various criminal organizations. It will operate under the purview of Patricia Bullrich 's Ministry of Security.

As published in the Official Gazette, this registry "will have the mission of planning the use of false identities , based on various profiles, with the aim of assisting justice in criminal investigations." By "false," they mean creating users who, for example, interact with criminal groups to obtain information that could provide key information for an arrest or search.

“As the online world has grown significantly, we're trying to organize all the forces. When a judge orders an undercover agent to be online, we assign them a name, a face, an account , and characteristics. That person receives training: just as an agent trains in shooting at a shooting range, an undercover agent online needs additional training: how to relate, how to network, how to act,” Fernando Soto, National Director of Regulations and Judicial Liaison at the Ministry of National Security, explained to Clarín .

“This law dates back to 2016. It's been in effect for many years, but only briefly. Now we're giving it more force. When it started, there wasn't as much development of cybercriminal gangs, from drug trafficking to child pornography, or even those who steal WhatsApp accounts to withdraw money. There are also digital mules, who open accounts, withdraw money from ATMs, and make their trail disappear: we're trying to break up these types of gangs,” he continues.

He aims to organize an existing process : “Initially, judges designated undercover agents to intervene online, and each agency dealt with the information they received in its own way. This is a unification of the avatar protocol : once an avatar is created, it's not reused; a new one is created for each case. An identity is assigned so the agent can make a transaction or whatever. Once the investigation is complete, that avatar is deleted ,” he explains.

The announcement refers to a "Protocol for the Designation and Operation of Digital Undercover Agents and Digital Disclosure Agents" and is based on Law No. 27,319.

On the internet, an avatar is the way a user represents themselves in a digital environment. It can be a photo, a drawing, a virtual character, an icon, or even a created figure: any image that serves to identify oneself to others. Avatars are common on social media, forums, and video games. They were a key figure in Facebook's failed "metaverse."

Strictly speaking, the concept isn't new at all: back in the early online chats and games of the 1990s, users chose a nickname and a small display image. Over time, avatars became more elaborate and customizable, to the point that social networks like Reddit allow users to purchase premium versions: today , they can range from a simple profile picture to a three-dimensional character that walks, talks, and gestures.

But beyond all this, the function is always the same: to give a user an identity . This is why it is crucial for the Ministry headed by Bullrich to organize these identities.

“In our case, we have two figures: the undercover agent and the whistleblower. The undercover agent is part of the organization and remains active over time. They can infiltrate an organization that recruits children, for example, until they obtain a concrete fact and the necessary information. The whistleblower poses as someone who wants to buy child pornography , for example. That user has to convince the criminal that they have a legitimate account, and only two officials in the entire chain know that person's real name. The judge is only given a number and a false identity,” explains Soto.

"When a specific profile is needed—for example, a truck driver to infiltrate a chat or group where human trafficking is discussed—the registry is searched to assign the most suitable one and be more efficient in this work," he continues.

The measure constitutes another step in the direction of the Ministry of Security's cyber-patrolling strategy, which involves monitoring user behavior on social media or interacting with users to obtain information about their activities.

In 2024, Bullrich authorized federal forces to conduct cyber patrols on the internet, including social media, through another ministry resolution, 428/2024. The creation of a specific Artificial Intelligence unit follows the same line of work: cyber surveillance of users.

"The protocol represents a necessary institutional evolution to systematize investigative tools that had been operating in a fragmented manner among different security forces since 2016. The centralization of the system and the creation of specific profiles tailored to the needs of each case represent significant improvements in terms of operational efficiency," Luis García Balcarce, a lawyer specializing in digital rights, told this outlet.

The specialist warns of a potential problem: “However, from a Digital Rights perspective, this systematization poses a series of specific challenges. First, during lengthy investigations, police avatars inevitably interact with legitimate users who are unaware of their police nature, leading to the incidental collection of personal information from third parties unrelated to the crimes under investigation,” he continues.

“Given this, the main area for improvement is to include specific guidelines in the protocol on the handling of this collateral information. Although it is established that each avatar is destroyed at the end of the investigation, it would be advisable to include additional safeguards on how third-party information is treated during the process, what data can be retained for future investigations and under what conditions, and how to ensure that this legitimate tool does not generate disproportionately inhibitory effects on digital communication,” he added.

In this regard, Balcarce maintains that "it is not a question of questioning the legitimacy of the tool, which is necessary to combat crimes organized in digital environments, but rather of perfecting its safeguards to balance public security needs with constitutional guarantees in the digital environment."

This week, Bullrich also created an "ad-honorem Academic Advisory Council for the Undercover Agents Unit," composed of judges and prosecutors, officials from the Ministry of National Security, and high-ranking officers from the Federal Police and Security Forces. It will be chaired by Ricardo Basílico, a federal judge and professor of constitutional law, criminal law, human rights, and criminology.