Legal Research Reports: Israel: Regulation of COVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing

You are subscribed to Legal Research Reports from the Library of Congress

Israel: Regulation of COVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing

The Law Library of Congress is proud to present the report, Israel: Regulation of COVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing.

Israel’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has been conducting contact tracing in an effort to reduce the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Tracing has involved questioning diagnosed patients, using tracing technology via a voluntary app, and surveillance by the Israel Security Service (ISA) without the consent of those observed. Surveillance of civilians for the purpose of epidemiological examination is normally outside the scope in which the ISA is authorized to operate and constitutes a serious challenge to the right to privacy and to patients’ rights. The assistance provided by the ISA to the MOH is therefore regulated under temporary special legislation that defines the scope, procedure, and duration of the activity, while addressing the constitutional challenges associated with it.

This report is one of many prepared by the Law Library of Congress. Visit the Comprehensive Index of Legal Reports page for a complete listing of reports and the Current Legal Topics page for our highlighted and newer reports.