Israeli Gov't Proposes Draft Bill Granting Far-Reaching Powers To The National Cyber Directorate

• Published date: 02 March 2021
• Subject Matter: Government, Public Sector, Terrorism, Homeland Security & Defence
• Law Firm: Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer Baratz
• Author: Mr Haim Ravia, Dotan Hammer and Adi Shoval

The Israeli government is proposing a draft bill that would be provisionally effective for two years, which among other matters would authorize the National Cyber Directorate and the Israeli Security Agency (colloquially called "Shabak") to instruct private and public organizations on how they should defend against cyberattacks, and obtain court orders granting these agencies direct access to operate the computer systems of private and public organizations.

The draft bill's explanatory notes indicate that amid this past year's COVID-19 pandemic, "the level of risk has dramatically increased, among others due to the greater scope of employees working remotely in the private and public sector, the increased activities in the digital arena, and the accelerated digitization of services in the public and private sectors.

According to the draft bill, the National Cyber Directorate could instruct an organization how it should prepare for cyberattacks if it is convinced that the organization engages in essential activities, it...