As technology advances, police forces are gaining significant new powers, including the ability to store and process vast amounts of personal information—far beyond what was previously available. These databases contain sensitive personal details about innocent citizens, not just individuals suspected of wrongdoing. Unfortunately, there has been a troubling rise in police officers accessing these databases for personal reasons, such as searching for information about family and friends, often abusing their authority or misusing the permissions granted to them. This issue has become so pervasive that the Israel Police Disciplinary Tribunal has labeled it a "police plague."
Despite the seriousness of this situation, the police response to officers who violate privacy rights has been more lenient than deterrent. A police directive states that officers who access databases unnecessarily for professional reasons will face disciplinary action, yet this is still considered a criminal offense. This approach trivializes the violations, resulting in inadequate punishments that fail to deter misconduct, effectively rendering the Protection of Privacy Law and other relevant legislation ineffective for police officers.
On September 29, 2024, we sent legal correspondence (Hebrew) to the police commissioner regarding this matter. Adv. Gil Gan-Mor and intern Yael Seidemann proposed developing a new directive that would address unauthorized access to police databases through criminal proceedings, led by the Department of Internal Investigations (DIP). Disciplinary actions should be reserved for exceptional cases. In instances where a DIP investigation is not initiated, we urged the Privacy Protection Authority to conduct its own investigation to consider imposing fines on the offending officers. This approach not only addresses violations of privacy rights and public trust in law enforcement but also upholds the principle of equality, as citizens would face criminal charges for similar actions.