The Knesset on Wednesday voted in favor of resuming the use of phone surveillance technologies to track suspected and verified coronavirus patients. The bill passed its first reading with a vote of 45 to 32. It must still past two more readings before it becomes a law.
The task of tracking patients' phones will fall to the Shin Bet security agency, as it did before, despite reservations expressed by Israel Security Agency Director Nadav Argaman.
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The bill was approved despite the fact that three weeks ago, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation said it would not advance the emergency measure, initially enacted mid-March.
The change of heart stems from the alarming spike in the daily tally of diagnosed corona cases, indicating a second COVID-19 outbreak has struck Israel. The Health Ministry confirmed 420 new cases on Tuesday, the most per day for more than two months.
There are currently 22,044 confirmed corona cases in Israel. Some 15,940 Israelis have recovered from the disease, which has so far claimed 308 patients.
The measure has earned harsh criticism from rights groups fearing phone surveillance technology – mostly used as part of security forces' counterterrorism efforts – would all but eradicate individuals' right to privacy.
Seeking to alleviate these concerns, the bill states that activating digital surveillance technologies requires the approval of both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz. It further says that the government will only be allowed to trigger the measure in cases where it can prove an "immediate and substantial" need.
The Shin Bet, for its part, will only be tasked with identifying the location of infected individuals in the 14 days prior to their date of diagnosis, so as to assist the Health Ministry in notifying those that were in contact with COVID-19 carriers that they require self-isolation.
The bill further gives the government the right to declare a state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak, which the Knesset can reverse with a standard, 61-MK majority vote. Each state of emergency will be called for a period of 30 days but the government may extend it for an unlimited number of times.
Israel is the only country in the West that has been using its domestic security services to track civilians for the virus. However, the High Court of Justice ruled that the practice could not continue unless it was made into a law.
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