The Information Technology Landscape in Israel
Transborder Data Flows
Transborder data flow may be broadly defined as "the
transfer of computerized data across national borders." Under this definition, data can be broken
down into four categories: personal data, business data, technical data,
and organizational data. The protection of private data
and information in all categories is an increasingly important issue and
is increasingly gaining global attention. (compusmart).
Need for Security:
"The rise of intrusive technologies and the Internet has resulted in a surge in awareness about the importance of privacy. On the Internet a lot of pressure is being put on companies to develop privacy policies to protect consumes who are literally sharing their personal information in this new environment. (44)
The increase need for security solutions and protection of data is partially a result of rapid advances of the Internet. Since there are more user and more sophisticated systems on the web, a firewall is no longer a satisfactory solution. (42)
Various Types of Security: (42)
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Network Protection |
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Host and Server Protection - access control |
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Data Protection - encryption of files and data on disks |
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Assessment/Compliance and Intrusion Detection |
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Desktop Security - antivirus, code protection |
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Authentication and Certificates |
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Central Management and Single Sign-On (42) |
Ensuring Protection:
The following industry and government regulations have been implemented to ensure the privacy of all types of data:
Government regulations
The Protection of Privacy Law regulates the processing of personal information in computer databanks. The law set out 11 types of activities that violated the law and could subject the personal to criminal or civil penalties. The Act is enforced by the Registrar of Databases within the Ministry of Justice. The Registrar maintains the register of data bases and can deny registration if he/she believes that it is used for illegal activities.(45)
Violations:
The most common type of privacy and security violation in Israel was Internet hacking. Table 1 and 2 display internet hacking statistics of 1999 and 2000. (
43)Table 1: Internet Hacking in Israel
| 1999 | 2000 | |
| Internet hackers | 259 | 358 |
| Incidents that involved Israeli's hacking foreign sites | 283 | 272 |
| Incidents that involved foreigners hacking Israeli sites | 10 | 99 |
| Incidents that involved Israeli's hacking Israeli sites | 11 | 14 |
Source: (43)
Table 2: Attacks on ISP's that were successful:
| 1999 | 2000 | |
| Attacks on ISPs that were successful | 13% | 28% |
Source: (43)
Barriers to a solution:
•Good security is also expensive and companies can not afford to loose customers if security measures makes their site harder to navigate. The industry is the referred to as "survival of the fittest." (43)
Freedom of Information:
In addition to the regulation of privacy, there is a movement to increase citizen's "right to know", which is not guaranteed under Israeli law. SHATIL initiated the Coalition for Freedom of Information, a national body of over 30 civil rights and public interest organizations which work to secure public access to government information. (33)
