Bill to Legalize Facial Recognition Surveillance in Israel Gets Cabinet Approval

Proposed legislation aimed at legalizing law enforcement’s use of facial recognition cameras in Israel’s public spaces has received cabinet support ahead of a vote in the Knesset, Israel’s parliamentary body. This move, spearheaded by Justice Minister Yariv Levin and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, is seen as an effort to address crime in Arab communities.

Sources close to Levin told The Times of Israel that the rapid progression of the bill to a special session of the Ministerial Committee for Legislation was done to align with a special session of the Knesset before it reconvenes on October 15.

While the Ministerial Committee on Legislation’s endorsement traditionally paves a smoother path for a bill’s journey through the Knesset and often solidifies coalition backing, the panel’s Monday approval was not unqualified. The committee appended a series of conditions to its support. Notably, one such stipulation explicitly prohibits the deployment of these facial recognition cameras during “freedom of expression events,” such as public demonstrations. This distinction seeks to strike a balance between leveraging technological tools for security purposes and preserving the democratic right to protest.

Moreover, the proposed legislation would permit the police to retain and use the data captured by the biometric facial recognition cameras for criminal investigations. However, the committee underscored the need for data not used for real-time identification to be purged within 72 hours. Additionally, the Ministerial Committee stressed the need for a dialogue with the authority overseeing biometric data application about technological oversight and the duration for retaining photographs.

The police have positioned this technology as an essential tool in crime prevention and investigation. Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai praised the initiative, describing the facial recognition system as a “life-saving tool,” crucial in the fight against organized crime in Arab communities.

The Israeli government has already used biometric technology to surveil Palestinian communities, generating controversy in the process. Amnesty International criticized the government earlier this year for allegedly collecting the face biometrics of Palestinians without their knowledge in order to establish a population-wide database — an effort that appeared to be connected to two other surveillance systems exposed by the Washington Post last year.

Source: The Times of Israel

–

September 19, 2023 – by the FindBiometrics Editorial Team