Internet Law

Our digital culture has changed the global media landscape for good. It allows any person, from anywhere in the world, to express himself or herself and publish or participate in the distribution of information. Information that used to be considered confidential and secret is being exposed to any internet user in the world (Wikileaks, Edward Snowden, iCloud service photos and more). "Innocent" users on social networks are creating and sharing baseless rumors with others. Bloggers ignore gag orders.

In democratic countries in general, and in Israel in particular, freedom of expression is a constitutional right anchored in the Israeli Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty. Over the years, media channels and journalism developed, expending the boundaries of freedom of expression. Digital culture allows almost any person in Israel to communicate his or her messages through an astounding array of platforms, such as social networks, blogs, forums, news sites and more. Manners of expression have also diversified: photos, videos, text, emoticons, likes, collections, favorites, etc.

The digital age allows us all to copy, use and distribute various creations: songs, clips, videos, graphics, images, text and computer software. It is not always clear whether this creation is protected by copyright, or whether and how we should request the permission of its original creator. A simple action made in good faith could infringe the works' creator's right to deal in his work, or his right to receive credit for his work.

The issue of privacy has never been very simple. Both Israeli law and and judicial practices have understood that social reality is not a black and white matter. There is a distinction between the privacy of an elected representative, whose actions have great implications on others, and that of a private person in his 'anonymous' life. Protection of the privacy of a minor is much stricter than protection of an adult's privacy. This complexity is joined by the open, multichannel, free and fast digital environment.