A new report by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman has found serious privacy concerns surrounding the use of municipal enforcement cameras, warning that local authorities collected and retained footage in ways that exposed members of the public to unnecessary surveillance.

The report examined the use of cameras by several municipalities, including Herzliya, Hadera, Ramat Gan, and Binyamina, which together issued approximately 120,000 traffic and parking citations worth roughly NIS 44 million.

According to the report, some municipalities retained high-quality footage that allowed inspectors to identify pedestrians and other bystanders, creating significant privacy concerns. In some cases, authorities continued recording public areas even after ceasing to use the cameras for parking enforcement.

The comptroller also found that municipalities failed to publish enforcement policies as required and, in certain cases, repurposed parking enforcement cameras for security-related uses despite unclear legal authority to do so.

The report follows a December 2025 court ruling and an April 2026 determination by Israel’s Privacy Protection Authority that prohibited the use of LPR cameras for enforcing standard parking violations without explicit legislative authorization.

Englman stressed that municipalities must use enforcement cameras “in a proportional and fair manner” and balance traffic enforcement needs with the public’s right to privacy.

A separate section of the report highlighted widespread failures in enforcing traffic violations in public transportation lanes, noting that only six of 38 local authorities actively enforce such offenses despite growing concerns over public safety and traffic congestion.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)