Global Legal Monitor
Israel: Privacy Protection Requirements for Conducting COVID-19 Epidemiological Investigations Issued
(Dec. 10, 2020) On November 25, 2020, Israel’s Privacy Protection Authority (PPA) issued clarifications regarding the protection of privacy during epidemiological investigations and the protection of personal data retrieved during COVID-19 contact tracing. The clarifications were contained in a document entitled Emphasizing Privacy Protection in Epidemiological Investigations Aimed at Cutting the Coronavirus Chain of Infection (the document).
In Israel the right to privacy is guaranteed under Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty and is regulated under the Privacy Protection Law 5741-1981, as amended (PPL). Among the principles enumerated by the PPL is the need to obtain the informed consent of the person whose information is requested (the data subject). Other principles restrict the use of the retrieved information to the purpose for which it was collected,