KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke has cautioned against rushing into mandating dashcams with audio recording in e-hailing vehicles and taxis.
The push for dashcams in Malaysia comes amid growing safety concerns, high-profile traffic incidents, and viral clips of reckless e-hailing driving, prompting authorities to consider stronger evidence and accountability measures.
“While it may serve a purpose in terms of ensuring safety, we need to discuss it further, think it through and consult various stakeholders,” he was quoted by The Sunday Star as telling reporters after appearing on radio station 988’s ‘Morning Up’ programme in Petaling Jaya yesterday.
“This is because once a dashcam is installed, the data, videos and images captured are kept by the drivers.
“How do we ensure that all of this data is properly deleted?
“So we have to consider this from various angles as we cannot have a knee-jerk reaction to resolve one issue, only to create another problem,” he added.
Loke noted that different countries operate under different conditions and said, “data privacy remains a key priority”.
Jose Rizal, president of the Malaysian E-Hailing Drivers Association, supported the dashcam idea but was similarly cautious on making the move mandatory.
“These measures are not intended to invade privacy but to provide two-way protection for both passengers and drivers while also supporting transparent and evidence-based investigations.
“However, any move towards making such measures mandatory must be implemented in a phased and holistic manner, taking into account installation costs, personal data protection, user privacy and the allocation of responsibilities between the government, platforms and drivers,” he was quoted as saying.
Jose said policies should focus on prevention, shared accountability, and effective enforcement rather than being reactive.
