Blog
Israeli Site Needs Parental Consent Under Local Law to Collect Information
Blog
July 16, 2012
A website that permitted Israeli children to apply to be contestants on various reality TV shows recently settled with of the Israeli Justice Ministry. According to the ministry, the website was collecting personally identifiable information about the children, and their parents and friends, without first getting parental consent. This violated Israeli data privacy laws, according to the Israel Law, Information and Technology Authority (ILITA), a division of the ministry. As part of the settlement, the site (Keshet Broadcasting) has agreed to delete information improperly collected from children, to revise and narrow the scope of the consent forms it asks minors to sign, and to include in the forms why information is being collected, who is going to process the information, how it will be seen, and when it will be deleted. Keshet also agreed not to share information with third parties –or to use the information- for any reason other than screening potential candidates for the reality shows. As part of the investigation, ILITA confirmed that there were three options, moving forward, that businesses can use if they want to collect personal information from children: (1) collect only contact information, and get complete information after getting parental consent; (2) collect everything except personally identifiable information, and get the personal information through a request for parental consent; and (3) get full information while verifying parental consent (through, for example, provision of a signed form from the parent). These options were based on a report from the ministry on how to collect information from children, which it defines as those up to 14.
TIP: Keep in mind that the US is not the only jurisdiction with requirements and restrictions around collecting personally identifiable information from children. This case gives a good overview of the expectations from Israel, but as with any program that might be conducted or directed to those outside of the US, care should be taken to comply, where appropriate, with local laws.
This entry has been created for information and planning purposes. It is not intended to be, nor should it be substituted for, legal advice, which turns on specific facts.