A bill requiring the disclosure of viewership data currently advanced by Likud MK Shalom Danino seeks to establish that Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi would determine the system to be used to compute the ratings of Israeli television channels, while broadcasters would be required to reveal real-time viewership data to spectators and report to the authorities on their viewing habits, segmented by sector, age, gender, etc.

This is yet another effort by Minister Karhi to seize control of the Israeli media market and to damage the free media. MK Danino’s bill would give Karhi political control over the calculation of ratings, and require broadcasters to submit this sensitive information to the government, which gives rise to fear that the data might be used for its own political purposes.

This is an inconceivable infringement of freedom of expression and freedom of the press, as the proposed legislation would enable the government to control the content of broadcasts as a result of its impact on ratings and viewership figures. The media market could thus be skewed for political reasons in support of channels favored by the government.

Given that ratings determine the strength of a channel and its influence on the public, the bill stirs tangible fears about an horrendous distortion of the public discourse as it seeks to start a process that could snowball into growing support for the channels that the government seeks to promote.

Moreover, the government’s demand for viewership data segmented by demographic and other factors would expose sensitive information about the viewing habits of citizens, would infringe upon the right to privacy, and might be used for political purposes.