## Notes from 04 June 2025 [[2025-06-03|← Previous note]] ┃ [[2025-06-05|Next note →]] I came across this sharp [technical post by Yaso Córdova](https://yaso.substack.com/p/uma-analise-tecnica-da-fraude-do) on the [[Corporatism in Brazil#2025-06-05 INSS scandal|INSS fraud scandal]]. I’m not equipped to assess all the technicalities, but the ideas are compelling, and this is exactly Yaso’s area of expertise. What stuck with me is that before we dive into Dataprev and backend fixes, there are at least two political economy questions we should address head-on. First: why on earth do we maintain a model where voluntary “associations” can deduct money directly from retirees’ benefits? These aren’t statutory bodies. They should be funded directly by members, period. The same logic applies to any kind of union. Automatic deductions are a grotesque relic of corporatist republicanism. It's outrageous that someone could just set up a “representative” entity, completely unregulated, and start pulling money out of INSS payouts. Why do we normalize this? Second: do we actually need Dataprev in its current form? Is it delivering public value? I ask this knowing how dysfunctional state-owned data processing companies in Brazil tend to be - yes, there are good people everywhere, but the _systems_ are broken.