The Israel Policy Center

המרכז המדיני לישראל

Building A Jewish Democracy

Israeli Government Approves Establishment of Biometric Database

(August 2) — Israel’s government approved the establishment of an official biometric database which would record physical data, such as fingerprints, taken from all citizens. A bill to establish the database now goes to the Knesset.

The bill would issue each citizen with an ID card that embeds his or her biometric data, which could include fingerprints, retina scans, and other physical characteristics. Such ID would be extremely difficult to forge, and permit easier identification of citizens involved in a disaster

The bill however also provides for the establishment of a database of biometric data. This would in principle allow the government to follow certain movements and activities of citizens without their consent. Today, a citizen’s consent is necessary in order for the government to record his or her fingerprints.

In theory, data from the database would only be available to proper authorities, such as law enforcement officers or medical personnel, on the basis of a warrant or other legal authorization. The ambiguous phrase, “other legal authorization,” reveals however the problematic nature of such a database. Once the database is established, it makes possible for the government to use the data therein for purposes today considered a violation of privacy. There is further the danger that officials will abuse their authority to gain access to the database for illegal purposes. Israel’s police have a history of abusing their access to private information, such as wiretaps.

The proposed law represents a further erosion of the right to privacy in Israel, following on a law, adopted last year, which provides for the recording of all phone and cellphone conversations.