The Knesset has approved a new Digital Mail Law that will mandate government offices to send official correspondence by digital mail (email or SMS) instead of snail mail – be it regular or registered mail.
The law passed Monday in its second and third reading in the plenum.
Citizens will now be able to respond to government mail in the same manner – with email or text – rather than be forced to shlep to the local post office or business center to fax the correspondence.
For the first four years, it will be optional for citizens to join the new service, and for the first two years, businesses can choose how they want to receive their mail.
Senior citizens likewise will be able to choose how they want to receive their mail.
Included in the bill is a mandate requiring protection against disruption in the communication process to ensure a high level of certainty there are changes in the content between the time it was sent, and when it was received.
Moreover, message confidentiality will likewise be ensured in accordance with the sensitivity of the content.
“The law will increase availability of information, lead to significant saving in paper and hundreds of millions of shekels a year for public mailing expenses,” noted Economy and Industry Minister Orna Barbibai.
“This will strengthen trust and communication between the government and citizens and produce advanced communications appropriate to the age in which we live, in a country known for its digital capabilities,” she added.
