The Israel Internet Association and NIF grantee Privacy Israel recently released a comprehensive study on Israeli public opinion around the right to privacy and protection from invasive practices by various government and commercial entities online.

The study found that 64% of the public felt that they had no control of personal information about them online. In addition, 82% of the public were interested to know what personal information government agencies had collected and how that information is used.

The research also revealed that different sectors of society held varied levels of concern. 70% of secular and Conservative Jews felt they had no control over their personal information on the internet compared with 58.8% of Orthodox and Haredi Jews and 53% of Israeli Arabs. 50% of Israelis aged 18-22 felt they had no control over their personal information compared with 73% of people over 50. 74% of Israelis with higher than average income felt they had no control over their information compared with 62% of Israelis with lower than average income.

These findings will hopefully be useful in any future legislative push for stronger privacy protections and restrictions on online surveillance and data collection.