The Care19 mobile app, which the governors of North Dakota and South Dakota have asked residents to download to assist in contact tracing during the global outbreak of the coronavirus), is seen on a phone. REUTERS/Paresh DaveJERUSALEM: Citing grave dangers to privacy, Israel's Supreme Court ruled on Sunday that the government must bring its use of mobile phone tracking deployed in the battle against the new coronavirus under legislation.
Accepting petitions from Israeli rights groups, the Supreme Court said the government must begin legislation by April 30 and complete it within a few weeks if it wanted to continue tracking people's phones in its bid to stop the virus spreading. Citing freedom of the press, the court also ruled that monitoring of journalists confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus can only be done with their consent. If they refuse, members of the media could seek an injunction against the practice, in order to protect their sources.
"Israel must not be the sole democracy which operates its secret security service to monitor its citizens, even in the fight against the coronavirus," ACRI said on Twitter.