Election Watchdog Clarifies Voter Data Ban for Parties
Translated & summarized from NEWSru Israel by baba
Israel's Privacy Protection Authority clarified a Supreme Court ruling banning party representatives from transmitting voter turnout data from polling stations. The prohibition extends to all communication methods, not just digital ones, and applies to real-time counts of voters. Parties must obtain consent to use voter data, and a hotline is available for privacy violation reports on election day.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israel's Privacy Protection Authority clarified a Supreme Court ban on parties receiving voter turnout data from polling stations.
- The ban applies to all communication methods, digital and manual, not just specific programs.
- Party representatives cannot count or transmit real-time voter numbers from polling stations.
- Voter data transfer requires explicit consent from individuals, even for non-personal information.
- A hotline and email are available on election day for reporting privacy violations.
Israel's Privacy Protection Authority, an agency within the Ministry of Justice, has issued clarifications regarding a Supreme Court ruling that prohibits party representatives at polling stations from transmitting voter turnout information to their parties. The directive, released ahead of parliamentary elections, emphasizes that the ban applies not only to digital methods, such as the "Elector" program, but to all other means of communication as well.
The Supreme Court previously ruled that members of local election committees and party observers are forbidden from using any method, digital or manual, to count the number of voters at a specific polling station throughout election day and relay this data to their party in real-time. This includes information on the number of people who have arrived to vote, even if it does not identify individuals.
Furthermore, the authority reminded activists and app users acting on behalf of parties that they must obtain explicit consent from individuals before transferring their data to a party or using it subsequently. The Privacy Protection Authority will operate a special hotline, *3103, and an email address, [email protected], on election day to handle privacy-related complaints. Citizens are encouraged to report any suspected violations of privacy during the election process, such as receiving calls indicating knowledge of their non-voting status, which could signify a breach of the Supreme Court's order.
