Israel Approves Phone Tracking to Halt Virus Spread
Israel Approves Phone Tracking to Halt Virus Spread
(Bloomberg) --
Israel’s cabinet approved draft legislation that would allow the domestic security agency to resume its use of phone-tracking technology to retrace the encounters of the rising number of coronavirus patients, local media reported.
“If needed, this tool, which will be fully monitored, will serve us in stopping the spread of the pandemic,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the opening of the meeting. The proposal must be voted into law by parliament.
Algorithms and artificial intelligence have been mobilized around the world to fight a pandemic that’s threatening millions of lives. But there’s also the fear that surveillance measures normally used against terrorists and criminals will also be mobilized to track dissenters and infringe on individuals’ privacy.
Earlier in the year, the Shin Bet security agency was authorized to use counterterrorism tracking technology to follow the movement of virus patients. Critics called it a dangerous precedent, and its use was discontinued after the outbreak tapered off. The understanding was that it could be deployed again if infections surged and legislation governing its deployment were passed.
Over 21,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Israel, including more than 300 fatalities. The number has steadily risen from less than 17,000 a month ago after restrictions were significantly eased, and many people ignored Health Ministry guidelines on masks and social distancing.
Netanyahu said that while the public had responded to the government’s call to wear masks, and there has been an improvement in compliance, “there is still a significant way to go.”
While it may be possible to halt the rise in cases without tracking technology, it’s important to have the tool available and it would be used only during periods when Covid-19 was resurgent, the prime minister said.
“We are monitoring this with ‘on’ and ‘off’ switches,” Netanyahu said. “I hope we will not have to activate it.”
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.