Digital privacy is a major concern for Israelis, according to the findings of a new poll released ahead of Data Privacy Day.
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The poll, carried out by non-profits Israel Internet Association and Privacy Israel, was carried out following reports the Israel Police used NSO spyware to track civilians without court approval.
A majority of respondents, 70%, said they were concerned about the possibility of police searches of their computers and cellphones. Among those who expressed concern, 45% said they were "definitely concerned," while 25% said they were "pretty concerned." Just 25% said they were not concerned by the possibility in the least.
Sixty percent of respondents said they were concerned by what information their employer had collected on them, 33% of whom said they were "very concerned," and 27% of whom said they were "pretty concerned." A little over a third of respondents, 33.5%, said they were not concerned by the issue at all.
A majority of respondents, 76.5%, were also concerned by the potential leak of their medical information. Of the 76.5%, 49% said they were very concerned and 27.5% said they were pretty concerned. Just 18.5% said they were not worried about their medical information being leaked online at all.
Moreover, 64% of Israelis said they feel they have no control over their personal information. Conversely, 30% said they do feel like they have control over their personal information, and 6% said they did not know.
The vast majority of respondents, 82%, said they would like to know what information government institutions such as the Israel Police and the Israel Tax Authority collect from civilians and how they use it. The vast majority of respondents, 85%, also said they would like to know how commercial companies use their personal information. Sixty-eight percent are concerned about how commercial firms may do with their information in the future.
The Israeli public is also concerned by how political parties could use their personal information, for example, to encourage voting. A majority of respondents, 70%, said they were concerned by political parties access to their information, while 25% said they were not concerned at all.
As for the use of targeted advertisements online, over half of respondents, 58%, said they were bothered by the phenomenon, while 38% said they were not.
Dr. Asaf Weiner, head of regulation and policy at the Israel Internet Association, concluded, "The data illustrates the Israeli public's concern about violations of their privacy is not unique to any one sector but is shared across all ages and sectors of society."
Privacy Israel CEO Naama Matarasso said: "The survey results illustrate the bleak state of privacy in Israel. The large gap between the extent to which the issue of privacy concerns the public and the amount lawmakers in Israel's Knesset focus on it is painfully obvious."
The poll was carried out by the Rushinek Institute among a representative sample of the Israeli population.
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