Israel's Supreme Court Stops Tracking Of Omicron Variants Via Cell Phone Surveillance By Shin Bet

Illustration of cell phone tracking. (Wikimedia Commons/Intel Free Press)

JAKARTA - Israel announced it would stop using cell phone tracking to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, as opposed to by privacy watchdogs.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's government authorized surveillance technology, which matches the location of virus carriers with other phones nearby, to determine their contacts, which will be used for cases of the Omicron variant on November 27.

The authorization will not be extended beyond midnight between Thursday and Friday, PM Bennett's office said in a statement, citing an "assessment of the current situation".

The technology, originally developed by Israel's security agency Shin Bet for counter-terrorism and counter-espionage, has "contributed over the past week to efforts to break the chain of infection", the statement said.

To note, Israel has confirmed three cases of the new variant and at least 30 others are suspected of being infected, the Health Ministry said.

Earlier on Thursday, Israel's Supreme Court rejected a petition by four rights groups seeking to reverse the measure.

"Considering the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant and its repercussions, it has not been proven that the Shin Bet authorization constituted a disproportionate violation of privacy rights that would justify a strike," the ruling reads citing Reuters Dec. 3.

Earlier this year, courts limited the scope of the technology's use after rights groups challenged privacy concerns when applied on a wider scale.