Israel’s biometric database allegedly managed illegally by subcontractor

Israel’s biometric database has allegedly been managed by a private contractor for more than two years, in violation of the rules for its maintenance established by the government when it was set up in 2011, Haaretz reports.

A lawsuit in the National Labour Court filed in October by Meital Magid, an employee of digital security company Log-On, says Magid has been managing the database since September 2015, while the Interior Ministry looked for a long-term administrator. Magid filed the suit after an Interior Ministry employee won the bid, over Magid and another candidate. The suit claims that Magid is the most qualified candidate, in part because of her experience doing the job.

The court accepted Magid’s initial argument, and froze the hiring process, so she remains the database’s interim manager.

“The biometric database has been deemed critical infrastructure, and infrastructure like this can’t be under the management of someone with so little experience,” said Nir Hirshman, a spokesperson for the Digital Rights Movement.

A subcontractor for the Labour and Welfare Ministry stole information from Israel’s population registry in 2005.

As previously reported, the Digital Rights Movement called the database an infringement of privacy rights when it filed suit against a public registration campaign last year.

Article Topics

biometric database  |  biometrics  |  data protection  |  Israel