Singapore’s satellite-based ERP: a colossal waste of money?

Image credit: Wikimedia.

The Singapore government announced it has awarded a US$397 million tender for its satellite-based Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) to a consortium.

The technology will track where any vehicle is in Singapore, and charge them accordingly for road usage. It’s an upgrade over the existing system of spreading out ERP gantries all over the island that deducts money from cashcards as vehicles drive past them.

As expected, the Facebook mob raged against the news, even though the new system has been known for some time.

There are some valid complaints, but I want to slay a nonsensical one first: that the system violates your privacy because it tracks your every movement.

And to that I say: you’ve allowed it to happen.

In case you haven’t realized, your smartphone is a device that’s doing just that. It tracks where you live, where you eat, and where you work.

When you check in on Facebook or Square, you give up your privacy.

When you book a ride on Uber or Grab, you give up your privacy.

When you give your NRIC number to the hotel staff or cinema cashier, you give up your privacy. Ditto when you surf the internet at home without a VPN.

And these CCTVs from the police that you so happily accepted below your apartment block? Bet you didn’t know the government is working on (and may have already deployed) facial recognition tech that can identify you.

Your privacy has violated many times over, but you let it happen for the sake of convenience and safety. And you just laid there.

You didn’t complain about it before, nor did you voice it during the elections.

And now when the government wants to track your car’s movement and charge you for using the roads, for the sake of reducing traffic congestion?