Israel Police Under Investigation for Privacy Breach of Mali and Lial Yahalomi
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
Israel's Privacy Protection Authority is investigating the Israel Police for allegedly violating the privacy of Mali and Lial Yahalomi. The authority's head, Gilaad Samma, has ordered an inquiry into how sensitive personal information and videos reached the media after the women were located in Argentina on August 14, 2026. The investigation aims to determine if police procedures were breached and to draw lessons for future cases to protect citizens' privacy rights.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israel's Privacy Protection Authority is investigating the Israel Police for alleged privacy violations.
- The investigation concerns the leak of sensitive personal information about Mali and Lial Yahalomi.
- The women were located in Argentina on August 14, 2026, after which details were published.
- Videos and personal data, including financial and location information, were reportedly released.
- The authority head stressed the need to protect citizens' fundamental right to privacy.
Israel's Privacy Protection Authority is investigating the Israel Police following reports of privacy violations concerning Mali and Lial Yahalomi. The head of the authority, Gilaad Samma, has formally requested the Inspector General of the Israel Police, Daniel Levi, and the police's internal privacy supervisor, George Kourkian, to investigate the matter. The directive comes after repeated media publications detailing the women's location in Argentina on August 14, 2026, and subsequent events.
These publications included sensitive personal details obtained during the police investigation, such as videos of the women in vulnerable situations, private correspondence, details of their AI searches, financial information, location data, and their expected arrival time in Israel. Samma indicated that the source of this information, at least in part, appears to be the Israel Police.
Samma has instructed the police's internal privacy inspector to conduct a thorough inquiry into how these videos and personal details reached the media, allegedly in violation of police procedures. The investigation will also examine the criteria, if any, considered by the police before allowing such publications. Furthermore, the authority head has directed the police to develop systemic conclusions and lessons learned regarding the protection of privacy when transferring information to the media in similar incidents.
In a statement, Samma acknowledged the importance of reporting the safe location of missing persons but stressed the severe difficulty in publishing vulnerable videos and personal details after they have been found. He stated that these publications, seemingly originating from the police investigation, caused significant harm to their privacy without legitimate justification and apparently contrary to police regulations. He emphasized the police's need to investigate how the information leaked and to draw necessary conclusions to ensure citizens' fundamental right to privacy is not compromised.
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