‘Legal Apartheid’ or ‘Necessary Evil’? Israel is Considering Elevated Protection of EU Personal Data

The Israeli Ministry of Justice has begun drafting new data protection regulations that will establish a legal framework whereby personal data originating from the European Union will be subject to a higher level of data protection than any other data collected or processed in Israel.

The Ministry’s motive for this initiative is the European Commission’s ongoing reevaluation of Israel’s 2011 ...

Israel Comprehensively Reforms Licensing of Communication Services

The Knesset, the Israeli legislature, voted for the final approval of an amendment to the Communications Law (Telecom and Broadcasts), 5742-1982, repealing the need for most telecommunications service providers to obtain a specific telecom license through a complicated and bureaucratic procedure previously required. The amendment becomes effective on October 2, 2022.

Before the amendment, anyone desiring to provide telecommunications services ...

Israeli Consumer Protection Authority Says Platforms Are Liable for Illegal Ads to Minors

According to an opinion by the Israeli Consumer Protection Authority, online platforms whose target audience includes minors and who allow other businesses to advertise on their platform, are responsible to ensure that the content of those ads is not prohibited for minors, regardless of the manner or means of advertisement. The opinion was filed as part of a class action ...

Bank of Israel Authorizes Banking Corporations to Use Cloud Computing in Core Systems

Israeli banking corporations are now allowed to use cloud computing in their core systems and core activities, according to an amendment to the Circular on Proper Conduct of Banking Business concerning cloud computing. Until recently, this ‘core systems’ use was expressly prohibited by the circular. This change in approach, as the Supervisor of Banks clarified, stems from the recognition that ...

U.S. Senators Publish a Bill on the Regulation of the Cryptocurrency Market

Tax exemptions for crypto transactions under $200, classification of virtual assets as securities and commodities, and an obligation to perform an analysis of energy consumption in digital asset markets – are some of the provisions in the U.S. federal Responsible Financial Innovation Bill, which aims to provide economic certainty and clarity in the cryptocurrency and blockchain sectors.

Among other matters, ...

Israeli Consumers Can Register to the “Do Not Call Me” Registry from November

Israeli consumers will be able to register their phone numbers in the national “do not call me” registry starting November 1, 2022. Starting January 1, 2023, all Israeli companies must not directly contact, for marketing purposes, consumers whose numbers are registered in the database.

According to the new regulations, companies seeking to directly contact consumers with a marketing offer must ...

Google Settles for $90 Million over Play Store Fees

Google agreed to pay $90 million to settle a legal dispute with app developers who alleged that Google has abused its power to impose legal and technical barriers on the app ecosystem, charged app developers fees of up to 30% of in-app purchases, and forced them to only use Google’s billing system. The settlement would resolve a class action suit ...

French Regulator Publishes Q&A on the Use of Google Analytics

Following its decision earlier this year to ban the use of Google Analytics for the processing of personal data from France in the absence of additional safeguards, the French data protection authority (CNIL) published a set of questions and answers on the use of Google Analytics by French data controllers.

CNIL reiterated that the existence of the Standard Contractual Clauses ...