Are Islamabad Safe City cameras still using Israeli-origin software?

2026-03-04 - 07:44

ISLAMABAD – The security cameras installed under the Islamabad Safe City project had been using the Israeli-origin software for more than a year in the past. It was confirmed by a senior police officer to a local media outlet, stating that it was in use for a period from June 2021 to October 2022. However, the official told the Profit that the software is no longer being used. The software, known as BriefCam, was pre-installed in cameras provided by Huawei, as part of the initiative aimed at enhancing security in the capital. BriefCam, a video content analytics platform, was employed to analyze and manage large volumes of surveillance footage. The software allowed authorities to search, summarize, and quickly review recorded videos, extracting metadata related to people, vehicles, objects, and events. This enabled real-time alerts and efficient video management, playing a significant role in the Safe City’s monitoring system. The involvement of Israeli technology in the Safe City project came to light following concerns raised by the recent assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. A report by the Financial Times on Khamenei’s assassination stated that the traffic and security cameras in Tehran were used to track the movements of the leader, with the cameras reportedly utilizing Israeli-origin software for intelligence gathering. While the software used in Tehran’s cameras was not the same as BriefCam, it was similarly developed in Israel, raising questions about the security and potential misuse of such technology in Pakistan. According to the Islamabad Police official, the BriefCam software was part of a test run for the Safe City project, which ultimately ended in 2022. The software was procured through Canon Japan after the company had acquired BriefCam in 2018, integrating it with the Danish business Milestone, which Canon had also purchased in 2014. Despite the Israeli origins of BriefCam, the official stated that the software was used only for a limited period of 16 months before being phased out. BriefCam’s parent company, originally based in the Israeli city of Modi’in, was acquired by Canon in 2018. Despite the acquisition by the Japanese camera giant, BriefCam retained its headquarters in Israel, sparking further scrutiny over the use of Israeli-origin surveillance technology in international security systems. In the aftermath of these revelations, questions have been raised about the use of such technology in Pakistan’s security infrastructure. While officials maintain that the software was only used as part of a trial phase, concerns about data security and the potential for foreign surveillance remain a topic of discussion, especially given the sensitive nature of the Safe City project and its role in monitoring citizens.