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JERUSALEM (AP) – Israel said on Thursday it is stopping the use of a controversial phone tracking technology to track possible cases of the novel coronavirus variant.
Earlier this week, the government approved travel restrictions and authorized the country’s homeland security agency to use phone tracking technology to track people infected with the omicron variant in Israel.
Emergency measures that allow “cellular monitoring” of people infected with omicron and those who may have come into contact with these cases will expire at midnight, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office said in a statement.
The decision to reverse course in Shin Bet’s pursuit comes after the Cabinet approved the app on Tuesday as part of an emergency. A government ombudsman opposed the application of the technology, arguing that it was ineffective.
Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz wrote on Twitter, “From the beginning, I have indicated that the use of this tool will be limited and brief – for a few days, to receive urgent information to stop infection with the new, unknown variant.”
“In addition to protecting health, we must protect privacy and human rights even in emergencies,” he said.
Israeli rights groups have denounced the use of technology, which can track a person’s whereabouts and who they’ve met, as a violation of their privacy rights. The Supreme Court decided to limit its use earlier this year.
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