Amendment 13 to Israel Privacy Law: What It Means for a Customer Spreadsheet

A customer spreadsheet is a data store even if it sits only on the owner computer. Amendment 13 to Israel Privacy Law significantly expanded enforcement powers and administrative sanctions available to the Privacy Protection Authority. The practical question is not whether a business has a large system. It is which personal data is retained, who uses it, where it moves, and how it is protected.

Start with a map, not a software purchase

List every location: spreadsheets, lead forms, CRM, mailboxes, WhatsApp, drives, and backups. For each, record what it contains, why the business needs it, who accesses it, who it is shared with, and which event requires deletion or correction.

Then address four common failures: files sent without protection, permissions open to every employee, exports retained unnecessarily, and no process when a customer asks for update or removal. A large platform is not always the answer. A small database with permissions and logging can give far more control than dozens of scattered files.

This is not legal advice. Amendment 13 must be assessed according to the type of data store and activity, so obtain appropriate privacy advice before legal or organizational decisions.

Source

Professional guide to Amendment 13 - Israel Privacy Protection Authority