Knesset Acts on Invasion of Privacy Measure

A lethargic Knesset, with most opposition members absent, voted

27-2 in favor of a bill aimed at protecting individuals from invasion of their privacy by the news media. The measure introduced by former Justice Minister Shmuel Tamir, cleared its first reading last June. A revised version was reported favorably Monday by the Knesset’s Legal Committee whose chairman, David Glass said it struck a delicate balance between a newspaper’s right to publish and a person’s right to privacy.

The bill defines “invasion of privacy” as spying on a person’s activities, publishing the photograph of someone in public life likely to be degrading to the subject, publishing the contents of a letter without permission of the recipient or the sender and unauthorized use of a person’s name picture or voice for commercial purposes.

Despite heavy lobbying against the bill by the media, only two votes were cast against it, both by Communist MKs. The Labor Alignment gave its members freedom of choice but only four were in the knesset chamber when the vote was taken. Two supported the bill and two did not take part in the vote.

The media had a more sympathetic response from the Labor Alignment’s Knesset faction Monday on a proposed bill that would forbid publication of the name of a suspect in a criminal case before the suspect is formally charged. Labor Party chairman Shimon Peres said the government was behind the bill to limit the dissemination of information because it resented the way news-papers, television and radio criticized its actions and policies.