CTech's Thursday Roundup of Israeli Tech News
As the number of Covid-19 cases increases, Mossad brings 100,000 testing kits to Israel; The Government has turned most Israelis into potential surveillance subjects, says researcher
The Government has turned most Israelis into potential surveillance subjects, says researcher. Tehilla Shwartz Altshuler of the Israel Democracy Institute is one of many privacy experts and law professionals to criticize the Israeli government’s decision to use surveillance technologies on Covid-19 patients. Read more
Tel Aviv's skyline. Photo: Shutterstock Israel’s Health Ministry orders 400 people to go into quarantine via SMS texts. The texts were sent according to phones location signals, collected through hasty emergency legislation, showing these people were in close contact with confirmed coronavirus cases. Read more
Despite Covid-19, S&P bullish about Israel. The credit rating agency forecasts Israel’s economy will see growth in 2020 despite the pandemic and that only a geopolitical event or the collapse of its real estate sector could cause negative growth. Read more
Buckling under coronavirus, Israel’s startups cry for help. Over 100 startup companies have approached the Israel Innovation Authority for regulatory exemptions that will help them survive the next few months without layoffs. Read more
More capital than venture: Israel’s tech companies under Covid-19’s shadow. Industry veterans are preparing for uncertain times but are also seeing opportunities—to reduce inflated valuations, birth new domains, and adopt more efficient models and methods. Read more
Opinion | From globalization to deglobalization in three weeks. An unprecedented global event is unfolding before our very eyes. We are such an integral part of it, and it is unfolding so fast, that we cannot fully comprehend its lasting implications. Read more
