New Hope Bill: Revealing Defamation Names on Defamation | Israel today

Advocates for individual liberties in Israel have not yet finished being shocked by the "Facebook law" approved by the Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs - and another storm is already upon us, also from the house of Justice Minister Gideon Saar's party, "New Hope."

Under the new bill, in the event that a person claims to have uploaded content that constitutes an injustice against him or a violation of the Defamation Prohibition Act - he can apply to the court to require the ISP to disclose the details of the person who published the offending content.

This time, too, most of the signatories to the law are Gideon Saar's men (Michal Shir, Zvika Hauser and Yitzhak Meir Halevi), and they are joined by two white brushes (Yael Ron Ben Moshe and Ruth Wasserman Landa) and one MK Mish Atid (Meirav Ben Ari).

Prime Minister Bennett and Ministers Shaked and Saar, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon

The law was tabled in the Knesset presidency about a month ago, but according to political sources, its signatories decided not to promote it so as not to provoke public anger again after the Facebook law storm.

The explanatory memorandum to the law reads: "It is proposed that a person who claims that content uploaded to an electronic communications network, or its distribution, constitutes a tort or violation under the Prohibition of Defamation Law, may apply to the court to oblige the ISP to disclose the details of the person who published the allegedly infringing content. ".

"Right step, in a crooked way"

Proponents of the law emphasize that "prior to such a proceeding, the victim may contact the communications network directly and ask it to find out if the subscriber agrees to disclose his details. To provide his details, then the victim will be able to apply to the court to reveal the details. "

The bill is expected to resonate widely in the political system.

"Not only is raising taxes and the cost of living, this coalition has also developed expertise in dictatorship and mouth-watering," says Likud MK Ophir Katz.

"Instead of listening to the public that suffers because of them, they prefer to shut up. That's how cowards deal with criticism and contempt from the public."

MK Ofir Katz, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon

"If Michal Shir and her party continue with such laws, not only will they not pass the blocking percentage, they will not reach a quarter of a seat. Their jealousy of Netanyahu and the Likud brings them to a simply shameful situation. This is North Korea on steroids."

MK Itamar Ben Gvir (Religious Zionism) believes that "the bill has a worthy and important purpose - but in the proposed wording it can turn Israel into a dictatorship.

On the one hand, one must do justice and change the rule of 'Rami Moore' that allowed cowardly shaming perpetrators to hide in a cloak of anonymity on the net, but on the other hand - the bill in its wording is a ticking bomb that will allow mouths to clog the net and turn Israel into a dictatorship.

"According to the proposal, even those who write legitimate criticism or even share a tweet or post, are exposed to lawsuits and demands for details, and it will not be long before people are afraid to express legitimate criticism against public figures, judges, politicians and anyone who should be exposed to criticism."

MK Itamar Ben Gvir, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon

"If the test is the 'good faith' of the applicant - as it is written in the wording of the bidders - there will be abuse here, and if the bill passes in its wording, Israel will start reminding a third world country that anyone who writes something against the government will be exposed and put on the stigma." .

According to sources familiar with the issue, in violation of the Facebook law - where it is a violation of human, public or state security - this is "defamation", which is a broad definition.

That is, if it is written, for example, that the prime minister is "bad" - the prime minister can claim that this is defamation and demand the removal of the writer's anonymity. 

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