State Comptroller Warns City Enforcement Cameras Violate Privacy and Lack Oversight

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman criticized how local authorities use cameras to enforce parking violations and bus lane, or public transport lane, violations, in a report published Tuesday. The audit examined four authorities, Herzliya, Hadera, Ramat Gan, and the local council of Binyamina-Giv'at Ada. In 2025 they were operating about 189 cameras, which generated roughly 121,000 fines in 2024 worth a combined 44 million shekels.

The report found serious privacy failures. In Ramat Gan, camera footage was kept in a quality that allowed passersby to be identified. In Binyamina-Giv'at Ada, pedestrians were not blurred at all. Some authorities continued filming public space even after the cameras were no longer being used for enforcement. In Ramat Gan, about 256,000 recorded events were deleted without any documentation explaining why they were removed.

The audit also said enforcement on bus lanes remains limited nationwide. Only 6 of the 38 authorities with dedicated bus lanes currently use cameras to enforce the rules. The Transportation Ministry, the report said, did not move ahead with contacting local authorities that are not enforcing bus lane offenses to ask them to begin enforcement, and therefore never reached the stage where it would need to consider taking over enforcement powers from authorities that do not enforce.

According to the State Comptroller's Office, weak enforcement in bus lanes can reduce the benefits of public transport, including economic, social, safety, and environmental gains. Englman said camera enforcement can make traffic law enforcement more efficient, but it can also harm the privacy of road users, so it requires careful review and restrained use. He added that municipalities should use enforcement cameras fairly and proportionately, and should periodically check whether the original reasons for installing them still apply. If the cameras no longer serve their intended purpose, authorities should stop filming public space or consider moving them.