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The government is setting in motion the most controversial digital surveillance project. Managers will be paid 170 thousand lek per month, while the system with 5 thousand cameras raises questions about privacy, cybersecurity and staggering costs
The government has officially launched the "Smart City" project, one of the largest and most controversial digital surveillance projects in Albania, while in parallel it has also approved the salaries for the staff who will administer the smart camera system.
According to the latest decision of the Council of Ministers, project leaders and managers will be paid 170 thousand lek per month, while coordinators and technical employees will receive 141 thousand lek per month, salaries significantly above the average for public administration and much higher than the average salary in the country.
The decision clearly shows that the project is entering the operational phase, while the government is building the structure that will administer the giant network of cameras and artificial intelligence systems under the administration of the State Police.
On paper, the “Smart City” is presented as a project for public safety and traffic management. In practice, Albania is entering a new phase of mass digital surveillance, with thousands of cameras that will monitor citizens’ movements in real time.
The first phase includes the deployment of around 5,000 smart cameras on main roads and near 20 schools, while the project envisages expanding the network to all major cities in the country.
But while the government talks about "modernization," critics raise the alarm about a project with staggering costs, minimal transparency, and serious risks to privacy and national security.
The project was first formalized in April 2024, when former Interior Minister Taulant Balla signed a memorandum with the company “Presight AI”, part of the G42 group from the United Arab Emirates. The agreement was classified secret.
Then, during the visit of the Emirates president to Tirana, Edi Rama signed the letter of commitment that included "Smart City" on the list of projects of national importance.
And with the importance, the bill also grew. From an initial $60 million, the project cost went to around $140 million including VAT, financing that will be covered through a loan from the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.
Software licenses alone cost $31 million. Equipment and infrastructure take up another $62.4 million. Four-year maintenance costs $17.1 million, while millions more go to smart radars, noise sensors, and body cameras for police.
In total, the system will include:
-2,239 ANPR cameras for license plate identification;
-2 602 PTZ cameras with intelligent movement;
-3,816 body cameras for the police;
-100 intelligent radars;
-100 traffic noise sensors.
So, Albania is building one of the largest electronic monitoring systems in the region.
The problem is that this project is being built in a country that has itself failed to protect its own digital systems.
In recent years, Albania has been repeatedly hit by cyberattacks that exposed sensitive databases, citizens' personal data, e-Albania systems, and state information.
In this reality, experts warn that the problem is not technology, but security.
A centralized system with thousands of cameras and artificial intelligence creates a permanent archive of citizens' movements, behaviors, and activities. And if this system is compromised, the exposure becomes national.
Risk is no longer seen as a theory.
In Kosovo, camera monitoring projects have raised alarms about foreign interference and intelligence risks. In Iran, before the operation to eliminate Khamenei, Israel managed to penetrate the traffic camera system in Tehran.
So, precedents exist.
In Albania, where state databases have been breached several times, the question being asked is much stronger: who will protect the "Smart City"?
The European Commission has also maintained a reserved stance on the project, recalling that Albania must guarantee the protection of personal data according to European standards.
However, so far the government has chosen to move forward quickly.
And the clearest signal is precisely the decision on salaries.
While police officers in the field have been complaining about conditions for years, while the public administration faces low salaries and a lack of resources, the "Smart City" project is building a privileged structure with above-average salaries, gigantic funding, and great powers over the digital monitoring of the country.
In the end, the question that is increasingly being raised is not just how many cameras will be installed. But who will control the system that will control the citizens. /Pamphlet
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