Israeli Government to be Sued by Quarantine Tracking Bracelet Company

In recent news, SuperCom, a tech company, has decided to file charges against the government of the State of Israel. The firm is in the business of manufacturing bracelets, which were previously being used by the relevant authorities to track travelers setting foot in the country. Their products were used as a means to ensure that people arriving were adhering to the rules of the mandatory quarantine period. 

The tech company wrote a letter to the Health Ministry last week, warning it of an upcoming lawsuit. It demanded that the government pay NIS 40 million to it in damages for the harm caused to SuperCom’s reputation. The negative publicity for the company comes due to the controversial nature of the tracking of the travelers. 

In addition, the Israeli tech company now possesses thousands of bracelets in storage, which are of no use, after the relevant officials of the government made the decision to not use them anymore. Instead, they opted for an app, which would allow them to carry out the same functions. 

The letter that the tech company sent to the Health Ministry made an additional demand as well. It asked the ministry to make use of its authority and declare right away that the technology being used to supervise people coming into the country and isolate, was made by SuperCom itself. In early April, the corporation made these electronic bracelets available to the Health Ministry. 

In the last couple of months, the stock price for SuperCom has fallen to $1.2 per share. This number is lower than what it was when the company was brought in for the contract. 

The CEO of SuperCom, Ordan Trabelsi, was asked several questions on the matter as well. He revealed that the government of Israel had originally reached out to the company back in February, in order to avail its tracking service. Consequently, it had provided them with a personalized solution, suited best for home-quarantine purposes. 

Back at the time, he had explained various features of the tracking device but, had left the details of the project onto the Health Ministry. The company had planned for travelers arriving in the country to get tested, receive their test results from the airport or while they are at a hotel, and then isolate themselves in their homes with the tracking bracelet. 

To test the product, SuperCom and the Health Ministry had joined forces to launch a pilot program. Through their testing, they were able to ensure that citizens arriving in the country, through Ben-Gurion Airport, wore the PureTag bracelet and took the PureCare smartphone for their isolation period of 10 to 14 days. The Israeli arriving would opt to wear the bracelet more often, as it enabled them to quarantine in the comfort of their homes and not in a government-supervised coronavirus hotel. 

If the quarantine was violated by the wearer, the bracelets did not track where the patient was headed. Rather, it only alerted the authorities that the individual had left their designated confined area. 

The company revealed that the bracelets had been high in demand and 91% of travelers coming to the airport opted for them. But the Health Ministry decided to drop the project.