Digital number plates do not track vehicles, MPs find

KAMPALA. Parliament’s Physical Infrastructure Committee has raised fresh questions over the security and privacy of motorists’ data after establishing that Uganda’s digital number plates do not independently track vehicles.

The committee says vehicles fitted with the digital plates are also installed with separate tracking devices, raising questions about who controls the devices, how motorists’ information is collected and whether vehicle owners are adequately informed about the technology.

The revelation was made during an oversight visit to the Police Command Centre in Naguru, Kampala, where MPs examined how the Intelligent Transport Monitoring System (ITMS) is used to identify, monitor and recover vehicles.

Committee chairperson Mwine Mpaka said the digital plate and the tracking device are two separate components of the system.

“The number plate cannot be tracked. We were at the police doing an oversight function, and now we have analysed all the features on this number plate. During installation, there is a tracker that is put in your vehicle, and there is also a number plate,” Mr Mpaka said.

“So we can now conclusively state that the number plate cannot be tracked but rather the tracker that is inserted in the person’s vehicle.”

The finding shifts the focus of the parliamentary inquiry from the digital plate itself to the tracking device installed inside vehicles and the wider management of data generated through the system.

MPs also questioned how a Russian private company involved in the project gained access to the Police Command Centre and whether adequate safeguards exist to prevent unauthorised access to information generated by the tracking system.

The committee is investigating the wider digital number plate project amid concerns over its cost, security features, production capacity and delays in issuing plates.

Who controls motorists’ data?

The MPs’ concerns centre on the information collected when the tracking device is used to locate and monitor vehicles.

Mr Mpaka questioned the safeguards surrounding motorists’ data, including who can access it, where it is stored and how it is protected from misuse.

The concerns are particularly significant because the system is capable of helping police locate vehicles suspected to have been stolen.

Police Director of ICT, AIGP Felix Baryamwisaki, told the committee that the system had helped track and recover 337 of 375 stolen motor vehicles, representing a reported recovery rate of 90 per cent.

At the Naguru command centre, MPs were shown how the system is used to identify and trace vehicles.

However, Mr Mpaka said legislators wanted to go beyond demonstrations and test the system using their own vehicles to establish how the technology works in practice.

The committee also sought clarification on the location of the data generated by the system.

Sam Okiding, the Deputy Chief of Defence Forces and Uganda People’s Defence Forces representative in Parliament, told the MPs that he was convinced the data was stored in Uganda.

But the committee said more explanations were needed on the safeguards governing access to the information and the role of private entities involved in operating the system.

The questions come against the background of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, which places obligations on entities that collect and process personal information.

Russian firm’s role under scrutiny

The digital number plate project is being implemented under the ITMS, following a 10-year agreement signed in 2021 between the government and Russian company Joint Stock Company Global Security (JSCGS).

Project officials have previously said the digital plates contain a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tag that links them to the wider ITMS.

The committee’s latest findings, however, suggest that the physical plate itself is not the component that provides vehicle-tracking capability.

This distinction has added another layer to Parliament’s scrutiny of the project, particularly concerning the installation and operation of the separate tracking device.

The committee is also examining why JSCGS was given an exclusive 10-year arrangement and whether the arrangement provides value for money.

The Uganda Manufacturers Association has questioned the exclusivity of the contract, arguing that the arrangement has contributed to delays, higher costs and disruption to businesses.

Plate delays cost businesses

The project has also faced criticism over delays in issuing digital plates, with car dealers telling Parliament that some vehicles have remained without plates for weeks or months.

The official fee for a new digital number plate is Shs714,300 for motor vehicles and motorcycles, while replacement fees are Shs150,000 for motor vehicles and Shs50,000 for motorcycles.

Global Security project manager Damir Makhmutov told the committee that the company has the capacity to install up to 1,500 plates a day but had completed 1,307 installations as of September 23.

The delays have been linked to potential revenue losses of at least Shs4 billion a week for the Uganda Revenue Authority.

The committee has also received complaints of motorists paying amounts above the official charges through intermediaries.

During an inspection, one car-bond operator was found charging Shs850,000 for a new plate, while another transaction involved a lump-sum payment of Shs1.485 million for taxes, plates and clearance without an itemised breakdown.

The committee’s inquiry is therefore examining not only whether the digital number plate system is delivering its intended security benefits, but also whether its implementation protects motorists’ data and provides value for money.

Mr Mpaka said the committee would continue scrutinising the system before making its recommendations to Parliament.