Privacy Protection Council
About
The Public Council for Privacy Protection is composed of representatives from the academy, the private sector, - human rights non-governmental organizations and civil servants, all with extensive knowledge and experience in privacy protection. The Council members are appointed by the Minister of Justice. They hold various professions from diverse disciplines, including, privacy legal practitioners, scholars and researchers, technology, experts and computer scientists.
The right to privacy is a fundamental right under the law of the State of Israel. It is considered an important building block in the Israeli democracy, as explicitly established by the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) in the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, and by Israeli courts, including the Supreme Court. The right to privacy was also included in the Protection of Privacy Law, 5741-1981, which provides individuals with measures to protect their privacy from being violated, and to confront risks associated with privacy violations.
The statutory role of the Council is to submit the annual report of the Databases Registrar with their notes and comments to the parliamentary Constitution and Law Committee, in accordance with section 10 of the Protection of Privacy Law. In addition, the Council serves as a consultant to the Minister of Justice regarding privacy issues and expresses the views of its members before the Knesset committees, about parliamentary legislation and government regulations.
The Council works in cooperation with the Protection of Privacy Authority, the Legal Counsel and Legislative Affairs unit at the Ministry of Justice, with various government ministries and with other public entities. The Council is an independent body which puts the public interest of privacy protection at the top of its priorities. The Council encourages and promotes privacy- protecting legislation highlights the importance of privacy in legislation and need to adapt the protection of to the modern era. This is particularly relevant in light of emerging challenges to the right to privacy. The Council also recommends legislating amendments to existing laws, advocates efficient enforcement of the law on public and private bodies, as well as the adaptation of laws to modern western practice data protection legislation.
The council works on strengthening the right to privacy in various aspects. This includes, encouraging privacy protecting bills, increasing substantive enforcement, promoting the deployment of privacy processes in organizations and in technological developments, and promoting public education and awareness.