State Comptroller Englman Examines the Police's Use of NSO on Citizens

The Office of the State Comptroller places a special emphasis on protecting the privacy of Israel's citizens and residents

During the past few weeks, the State Comptroller, Matanyahu Englman, has begun an audit on the issue of the use of technological measures by law enforcement agencies, and in particular the Israel Police, for enforcement. Part of the audit will involve examining the police's alleged use of various software in order to penetrate the cell phones of citizens, such as the NSO software.

The Office of the State Comptroller stated that "the Office of the State Comptroller places a special emphasis on protecting the privacy of Israel's citizens and residents. Technological measures are used as evidence in criminal proceedings and raise questions regarding the balance between their benefit and violations of the right to privacy and additional freedoms. These measures also bring up risks of the leakage of personal information and misuse in databases. Therefore, the State Comptroller, Matanyahu Englman, has decided to include the issue of law enforcement agencies' use of technological measures for enforcement purposes in the Office's work plan that had already been built."