The Justice Ministry is seeking to significantly expand the number of government agencies authorized to track the moves of citizens for investigation purposes, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.
The new legislation would grant the Antiquities Authority, the Nature and Parks Authority and the Environmental Protection Ministry, among others, permission to tap Israelis’ phones and computers.
The bill aims to amend a law from 2007 that regulates the authorities’ ability to seize individuals’ records from companies that provide communication services. The law enables the relevant agencies to apply for tracking warrants; if granted by the court, these warrants allow officials to eavesdrop on suspects’ phone conversations and go through their text messages, e-mails and computer files.
The Agriculture Ministry and the Director of Security of the Defense Establishment would also be among the government bodies allowed access to personal information if the amendment is ratified.
The revised legislation would not only apply to suspected felonies, as does the original law, but also to misdemeanors, a move that could expose a wider array of citizens to tracking.
The proposed legislation is expected to be put up for the Knesset’s approval by the end of the year.
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6 Responses
Talk about Big Brother.
There goes the basic rights of privacy. Israel is slowly crawling back into 3rd world mode..
Sounds quite good for communist Russia. This bill would make the KGB proud. The bill wouldn’t even track terrorist because they work by codes, and to work out a code aint all that easy.
Well, is Israel wants to be a thoroughly modern police state, that’s the way to go. Merely have kangaroo courts, no habeas corpus, nothing remotely resembling due process are fine as far as they go, but that’s so 19th century. Surveillance 24/7 is where it at.
This applies to suspected lawbreakers after receiving a court warrant. The details of who and when will certainly be ironed out during the legislative process and inevitable litigation.
#4, take a course in Constitutional law. Habeas corpus refers to releasing someone from detention and due process refers to the procedure for taking away something from somebody. For a mere search probable cause is sufficient.
#5, what made you think #4 doesn’t know the meaning of the terms he used? He used them correctly in his comment, and I’m sure he knows exactly what they mean. As he said, Israel already has kangaroo courts, no habeas corpus, and nothing remotely resembling due process. Now it’s looking for something new.