As first reported by Israel Hayom: Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced today (Thursday) the establishment of a government commission of inquiry into the use of cyber surveillance and collection tools by criminal enforcement agencies, including Pegasus. Levin will appeal to the government to grant the commission investigative powers.
The committee will be authorized to examine the conduct of the police, the State Prosecutor's Office and their supervision systems, in all matters related to procurement, surveillance and collection using cyber tools for citizens and officers.
All this is due to the need to carry out comprehensive regulation and provide a normative infrastructure for the use of advanced technological tools, in order to strengthen the public's trust that was damaged by the Pegasus affair, and in light of the need to protect the right to privacy on the one hand, and to provide enforcement agencies with effective tools for fighting crime and corruption on the other. The committee will determine findings and decisions, and its conclusions will be submitted to the Minister of Justice within six months of its meeting.
The committee members will be Moshe Drori (former Vice President of the Jerusalem District Court), Adv. Inbal Rubinstein (former National Public Defender) and Shalom Ben-Hanan (retired head of the Israel Security Agency)
"The citizens of Israel are entitled to privacy and to have every investigative process carried out in accordance with the law and with respect for the rights of interrogees, witnesses and anyone concerned alike," Levin said. "Accelerated technological developments require the provision of appropriate technological tools by law enforcement authorities in order to fight crime and corruption. The use of these tools must be controlled and regulated with deep control and accountability from those who make prohibited use or misuse of these tools.
"The establishment of the commission of inquiry is intended to examine the use made in the past of these tools, to make recommendations on how to use them from here on out, and to ensure transparency in a way that will strengthen the public's trust in the enforcement systems, in the way they operate and in the protection provided for privacy. I thank the honorable retired judge Drori, Adv. Rubinstein and Mr. Ben Hanan for their willingness to contribute to this important task, and wish the committee great success in the important task assigned to it."
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us