Knesset's Finance Committee on Monday slammed the National Public Transport Authority's flagship project to replace current payment methods on public transportation with mobile apps, arguing they do not protect the privacy of users and may cause user data to leak to commercial bodies.
Committee chairman, Ya'akov Margi, accused Transportation Ministry officials of concealing information from the public and criticized a Privacy Protection Authority representative who only learned of the apps earlier that day.
"The committee supports encouraging the use of public transport and has found that the promotion of such applications raises difficult questions regarding privacy," said Margi. "[The committee] is concerned that this issue has not been addressed before in consultation with the Privacy Protection Authority," said Margi.
"This issue should be regulated by primary legislation. The committee calls on the Transportation Ministry to halt the use of the app until the privacy issue is settled and to answer questions because we have not been able to get answers to any questions ... The general public who uses public transport will not benefit from the app."
The meeting centered around three privately-owned apps, that are in finishing stages, and a state-owned app will soon follow, with the intent of saving millions in fees charged by using Rav-Kav - a card for making electronic payments for the public transport operators across Israel.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Consumer Council warned the move would harm disadvantaged populations.