Written by Haim Ravia and Dotan Hammer
The Israeli Parliament’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee commenced its deliberations on the 14th amendment to the Israeli Privacy Protection (PPL). The comprehensive amendment seeks to revise the definitions of some of the PPL’s key terms, expand the Privacy Protection Authority’s (PPA) enforcement powers, and downscale the antiquated obligation to register databases with the PPA.
The two sessions held so far focused on the proposed amendments to the law’s key terms, including the revised definition of “Personal Data” reflecting the GDPR’s definition. The main point of contention is the term “Data of Special Sensitivity”. The term was amended to include a wide scope of data that exceeds the parallel definition of “Special Categories of Data” under the GDPR. Among the most controversial types of data under the proposed term are not only data concerning an individual’s financial status and consumption habits, but also data concerning one’s assets, debts, and financial obligations and the ability to pay them. The latter category is exceptionally broad and could adversely impact any organization collecting financial data, from small grocery stores to multi-national organizations.
One participant observed that considering the wide scope of the proposed Data of Special Sensitivity, it is questionable whether any personal data would remain outside the definition. It was therefore agreed that the PPA will reconsider the broad scope of this category of data.
The committee is expected to continue deliberations every one or two weeks. Nevertheless, due to the current political turmoil in Israel, it is unclear when the amendment will be enacted, if at all.
