A significant vulnerability in the Ministry of Transportation’s identification system has exposed the personal information of talmidim attending yeshivos across Eretz Yisroel. This breach occurred through the ministry’s telephone answering service and website, enabling unauthorized access to the data.
Complaints received by the Authority for the Protection of Privacy revealed that staff members at yeshivos exploited this vulnerability to identify bochurim who possessed a driver’s license. Consequently, those bochurim found to have a license were expelled from the yeshiva.
Determining whether a bochur held a driver’s license involved contacting the Ministry of Transportation’s hotline or utilizing the website’s feature to obtain a license copy. To complete this process, individuals were required to provide an ID number and date of birth, information that students typically submit during registration. This allowed anyone with these details to verify if a specific individual possessed a driver’s license.
Upon inspecting the situation, the Authority discovered that the Ministry of Transportation’s computerized systems lacked adequate safeguards for verifying a person’s identity.
In a letter of violation sent to the Ministry of Transportation last month, the Authority for the Protection of Privacy stated that the information regarding a person’s possession of a driver’s license falls under the Privacy Protection Law. It emphasized that this information constitutes “details about a person’s private affairs” and should be protected accordingly.
The Authority’s letter asserted that the Ministry of Transportation failed in its duty as a public entity to refrain from disclosing information about an individual from a public database to someone who is not the subject of that information, without the consent of the individual concerned. Additionally, the Authority determined that the existing identification system in the ministry’s computer systems does not comply with the legal provisions and regulations. Consequently, the Ministry of Transportation violates its obligation to adequately safeguard the public’s information.
The Authority underscored in its letter that “providing this type of information to an anonymous individual without the consent of the individual concerned constitutes a distinct violation of privacy.” It further emphasized that such actions resulted in substantial harm to the individuals involved, particularly in terms of their expulsion from the yeshiva where they were studying, with all the associated consequences.
{Matzav.com Israel}
It’s a big kuntz to always be machmir.