On November 29, 2020 the Ministry of Justice (the "MOJ") published an open call for submissions for amendments to the Privacy Protection Law (1981) (the "PPL"). The Minister of Justice hopes to update the PPL in light of the many technological advances in the decades since it was originally legislated, as well as the worldwide proliferation of legislation protecting personal data.

The public is encouraged to submit opinions on one or more of the following topics:

  • Aspects of Israeli law that insufficiently protect the right to privacy for information processed in databases
  • Ways in which the law either does not fit the social and economic realities or imposes an excessive bureaucratic burden on organizations that manage databases or process information
  • Does the law require amending regarding any of the following topics:
    • Establishing additional legal bases for data processing, in addition to consent and certification.
    • Broadening the rights of data subjects, such as the right to be forgotten and data portability rights, and rights in respect of automated data processing and profiling).
    • Establishing additional requirements for database owners and controllers, including accountability requirements such as appointing a privacy protection officer for every organization, impact reviews for privacy, etc.
    • Anchoring data processing principles in the law
    • Expanding the supervisory and enforcement powers of the Privacy Protection Authority
    • The independence of the Privacy Protection Authority
    • Cancelling the registration requirement for databases
    • References to special populations, such as minors.

The MOJ welcomes submissions on other pertinent topics as well.

The text of the MOJ call for submissions in Hebrew can be found here.

Submissions will be accepted through Sunday, December 13, 2020.

Clients engaged in data-heavy businesses or whose activities include transfer or processing of data are invited to submit feedback to the MOJ as set forth above.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.