INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the measures were temporary (file
photo)
The Israeli government has approved emergency measures for its security agencies to track the mobile-phone data of
people with suspected coronavirus.The new powers will be used to enforce quarantine and warn those who may have come into contact with
infected people.The temporary laws were passed during an overnight sitting of the cabinet, bypassing parliamentary approval
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel called the move "a dangerous precedent and a slippery slope".Such powers are usually reserved for
counter-terrorism operations.Details of how the "cyber-monitoring" will work were not disclosed but it is understood the location data
collected through telecommunication companies by Shin Bet, the domestic security agency, will be shared with health officials.Once an
individual is highlighted as a possible coronavirus case, the health ministry will then be able to track whether or not they are adhering to
It can also send a text message to people who may have come into contact with them before symptoms emerged.The head of the justice system
said the move would save lives, while Israel's prime minister said it struck a balance between public-health needs and civil rights
Israel is still in the relatively early stages of the pandemic - and many ordinary Israelis are used to complying with measures they see as
important for their security
But this is a public health threat, not a security one
The ultimate test of bolstering the powers of surveillance agencies will lie in their longer term effectiveness: whether they can slow the
spread of the coronavirus
In an often tense and divided region, increasingly parts of the security infrastructure are doubling up as tools of public-health
enforcement by both Israeli and Palestinian authorities
The scale and duration of the health and economic crises may strain that situation
Israel has confirmed more than 300 cases of the virus and imposed a series of other measures to stop the spread
They include closing schools, shopping centres, restaurants and most places of leisure, as well as limiting gatherings to 10 people.Israel's
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the new powers will last for 30 days only
Speaking ahead of the vote, he said: "Israel is a democracy and we must maintain the balance between civil rights and the public's
needs."These tools will very much assist us in locating the sick and stopping the virus from spreading."Although it is shrouded in secrecy,
other countries are believed to collect data from mobile phones to be used in mass-surveillance programmes or in specific criminal
investigations that require case-by-case legal permission.China's sophisticated mass surveillance system is also being used to keep a tab
Tencent, the company behind popular messaging app WeChat, has launched a QR-code-based tracking feature
The "close contact detector" app notifies the user if they have been in close contact with a virus carrier and enforce quarantines
In South Korea, similar technology has been criticised for an invasion of privacy as some people were accused of having extramarital affairs
based on their location data being made public
