Israel Police to Undergo Privacy Investigation Over Leaked Details of Mally and Liel

The head of the authority, Adv. Gilad Simama, instructed the Inspector General of the Police, Commissioner Daniel Levi, and the internal police privacy supervisor, Commander George Kiverkian, to examine whether personal information was leaked in violation of privacy. Videos showing the sisters in vulnerable situations during their discovery on a bus and their interrogation by police representatives were published, along with personal details from the investigation. These included private correspondence, searches conducted using AI tools, information about their financial status and activities, details of their location and movements, and their expected arrival date in Israel.

The authority's review suggests that the source of at least some of the information was within the Israel Police. The investigation requires the police to determine how the videos and personal details reached the media and if their transfer contravened police procedures. They must also assess what considerations, if any, were weighed before allowing the information's publication. The authority requested systemic conclusions and lessons learned regarding privacy protection during information sharing with the media in similar events and asked for the investigation's findings.

"The importance of publishing the location and well-being of missing persons is clear to all," stated Adv. Simama. "However, there is a significant difficulty in publishing videos of them in vulnerable moments and revealing their personal details, movements, location, and financial activity after they have already been located." He added that the publications, apparently originating from the police investigation, allegedly infringed upon their privacy without legitimate justification and apparently contrary to police regulations. Simama emphasized that the police must investigate how the information leaked and draw the necessary lessons to ensure citizens' basic right to privacy.