24-hour vehicle tracking system won’t breach privacy, says Abang Jo

 The Sarawak premier said the purpose of the 77km real-time surveillance grid in Miri is to provide a more active and secure environment for citizens.

Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg at the Miri Smart City command centre, which was launched today. (Ukas pic)

PETALING JAYA:

A 24-hour surveillance system with facial recognition and vehicle number plate tracking is going into operation in Miri, with support from Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg, who said the tracking grid does not breach privacy and was strictly to enhance public safety.

“While it is for public use, it doesn’t mean that we breach your privacy,” he said in Miri after launching the Miri Smart City command centre, Dayak Daily reported.

While the system captures real-time images of passing motorcycles and automatically logs vehicle number plates, the purpose is to provide a more active, secure environment for citizens, he was quoted as saying.

The real-time tracking system operates over a 77km grid and uses artificial intelligence. Abang Johari expressed confidence that the framework will eventually serve as a model to be expanded across the state.

The premier said he had suggested that the command centre have another app where they can summarise all the activities within a week. The weekly data summary will allow the city council to constantly monitor patterns and steadily improve public service delivery across the grid. - FMT