Cyberbullying: what the law allows you to do against those who harm you

Service page: Defamation and libel on Facebook and WhatsApp: removal and claims.

Which laws apply to cyberbullying?

Israel has no single “cyberbullying law”; there is a toolbox. A humiliating publication is assessed under the Prohibition of Defamation Law, 5725-1965; exposing personal information, photos and correspondence under the Protection of Privacy Law, 5741-1981; persistent harassment and threats under the Prevention of Threatening Harassment Law, 5762-2001 and the Penal Law, 5737-1977. The exact details are below.

What is an order against threatening harassment, and how do you get one?

This is the fastest tool in the box: the Magistrates’ Court has the power to prohibit the attacker from making contact, coming near or continuing to publish, and a breach is a criminal offense. The application is filed in an expedited procedure, sometimes ex parte when there is urgency. The order requires an evidential basis, so the documentation collected before going to court is critical.

What do you do when the attacker is an anonymous user?

On social networks and many platforms, the attacker hides behind a fake profile. The practical tools: a request to the platform for content removal under its community rules; a complaint to the police, which have powers to trace the publisher; while an application in a civil proceeding to order a provider to disclose the user’s identity (unmasking) is limited: in an application for leave to appeal, LCA 4447/07 Mor v. Barak I.T.C., the Supreme Court held that without a statutory arrangement the court has no power to order this. It is advisable to get advice before taking a step, because the order of steps affects the chances of tracing the person.

What can you get in a civil claim? Monetary compensation even without proof of damage, and a higher amount when the publication was made with intent to harm, under both laws alike. You can also demand a removal order, an apology and the publication of a correction.

The legislative framework, section by section

To know what you have in hand, you need to know which provision each act falls under. These are the four laws that do most of the work:

Prohibition of Defamation Law, 5725-1965

Section 1 defines defamation as something whose publication may humiliate a person in the eyes of others, degrade them because of their actions or qualities, harm them in their position or business, or degrade them because of their race, origin, religion, place of residence, age, sex, sexual orientation or disability. Section 2 makes clear that a “publication” is by any means, “whether orally or in writing or in print, including a drawing, figure, movement, sound and any other means”, so a story, memes, a voice recording and a video are included exactly like a post, and it is enough that the publication reached one person other than the injured person. See also: defamation on Facebook and WhatsApp.

The monetary remedy is in section 7A: up to NIS 84,038.36 without proof of damage (section 7A(b)), and when it is proved that the publication was made with intent to harm, up to double that amount, NIS 168,076.72 (as of the update of 16 October 2026) (section 7A(c)); these are the caps in force in the update of 16 October 2026, because the amounts stated in the Law are linked to the index (section 7A(e)), and they cannot be received twice for the same defamation (section 7A(d)). At the same time, a publication intended to harm, made to two or more people, is a criminal offense punishable by one year’s imprisonment (section 6).

Protection of Privacy Law, 5741-1981

Section 1 sets the rule: “No person shall invade the privacy of another without their consent”. Section 2 lists twelve alternatives, and these mainly come up in cyberbullying: spying or trailing “likely to harass them, or other harassment” (2(1)); publishing a photograph to the public in circumstances in which the publication may humiliate or degrade the person (2(4)); copying the content of a writing not intended for publication, and expressly also an “electronic message” (2(5)), meaning a screenshot of a private chat; and publishing a matter relating to the privacy of a person’s intimate life, including their sexual past or their state of health (2(11)).

An invasion of privacy is a civil wrong (section 4), and a willful invasion under the alternatives listed in section 5 is a criminal offense punishable by five years’ imprisonment. Here too there is compensation without proof of damage, and double with intent to harm (section 29A): a base amount of NIS 50,000 linked to the index whose base is May 2007, under which the cap in force in the update of 16 October 2026 is NIS 72,221.22. On the other hand, section 6 bars a claim for “an invasion of no real substance”, and section 18 lists defenses, among them an invasion in good faith or an invasion justified by a public interest.

Related criminal offenses

Three provisions worth knowing before going to the police: threats, section 192 of the Penal Law, 5737-1977: threatening unlawful harm to a person’s body, freedom, property, good name or livelihood, with intent to frighten or annoy; three years’ imprisonment. Extortion by threats, section 428, which applies expressly also to a threat “to publish or to refrain from publishing something”; seven years’ imprisonment. And harassment using a telecommunications facility, section 30 of the Communications (Telecommunications and Broadcasting) Law, 5742-1982: using a telecommunications facility or terminal equipment “in a way that is liable to harm, frighten, harass, create anxiety or annoy unlawfully”; three years’ imprisonment. This is the most relevant criminal tool against floods of messages and repeated contacts.

Prevention of Threatening Harassment Law, 5762-2001

This is the law that produces the order. The application is filed with the Magistrates’ Court (and in certain circumstances with the Family Court or a Juvenile Court). Section 7(a) of the Law gives the court the power to issue an order ex parte if this is needed for the immediate protection of the injured person’s safety, and section 7(b) requires a hearing in the presence of both parties as soon as possible and no later than seven days from the day the order was issued. Under section 6, the order is valid for no more than six months, and it can be extended, provided the total period does not exceed one year, and for special reasons up to two years in total. A breach of the order is a criminal offense.

Plan of action: the first 72 hours

1. Document before you respond. Full screenshots (user name, date, time, URL) and a chronological list. Content on the internet gets deleted, sometimes within minutes.
2. Do not respond in kind. A humiliating response from you makes you a potential defendant, and the other side may use it in a counterclaim.
3. Report to the platform, keep the report number, and send a warning letter when the attacker’s identity is known. A documented refusal to remove after a warning is a significant fact when compensation is awarded.
4. File a complaint with the police in cases of threats, extortion or repeated harassment (the police have tracing powers that a private person does not have), and at the same time an application for an order against threatening harassment if the harassment continues.
5. Consider a civil claim under the Prohibition of Defamation Law and/or the Protection of Privacy Law, separately or in parallel.

What to document: a checklist

• A screenshot of every publication, with the time, date and full address; a video of scrolling through the screen is even better.
• The user name, a link to the profile, the number of followers or group members, views and shares: these show the extent of the exposure.
• Documentation of the harm: messages you received after the publication, canceled transactions, going to a therapist, absence from school or work.
• Confirmations of reports and warning letters, with dates; and when the injured person is a minor, also documentation of the approach to the educational institution.

Common mistakes that weaken a strong case

• Deleting the thread. Deleting your own correspondence makes it harder to prove the context, and sometimes looks like hiding evidence.
• Relying on “it was in a closed group”. Section 2(b) is satisfied if the publication reached one person other than the injured person.
• Focusing only on defamation. Quite often the stronger cause of action is invasion of privacy, for example a screenshot of a private conversation under section 2(5).
• Waiting. The more time passes, the harder it is to trace the publisher, and platforms do not keep data forever.
• Posting the warning letter or the statement of claim online. This may create a cause of action against you and harm the balance the court sees.

When a lawyer is worth it, and when not

You can manage on your own: reporting to the platform, a first approach to the school, and a complaint to the police. A small claim against an identified attacker for a relatively low amount can also be handled on your own.

It is worth involving a lawyer: when an application to disclose an anonymous user’s identity is needed; in an ongoing campaign by several users; when the publication harmed your livelihood and the damage can be quantified; when you are asking for an ex parte order; and when you yourself received a warning letter. Proving “intent to harm” under section 7A(c) is evidential work, not a statement.

FAQ

How much money can you get in a cyberbullying claim?

The cap under section 7A(b) of the Prohibition of Defamation Law is NIS 84,038.36 without proof of damage, and double that amount, NIS 168,076.72 (as of the update of 16 October 2026), when intent to harm was proved (section 7A(c)); these are the amounts in force in the update of 16 October 2026, because the amounts stated in the Law are base amounts from 1998 linked to the index under section 7A(e). The Protection of Privacy Law gives a parallel remedy in section 29A. When actual damage is proved (loss of income, psychological treatment), you can claim beyond these caps.

The person who harmed me is a minor: can I still act?

Yes. The civil proceeding is conducted against the minor and through their parents, and in suitable cases you can also apply to a Juvenile Court. In practice, in bullying between teenagers the effective combination is an approach to the educational institution, a letter from a lawyer to the parents, and an application for an order only if the harassment continues.

What can you do when the person who published defamation or cyberbullying is an anonymous user?

You combine routes: a request to the platform to remove the content, and a complaint to the police, which have tracing powers. An application in a civil proceeding to order a provider to disclose the user’s identity (unmasking) is limited: in LCA 4447/07 Mor v. Barak I.T.C., the Supreme Court held that without a statutory arrangement there is no power to order this. The order of steps matters: contacting the platform early may lead to the account being deleted and the traces disappearing, so it is advisable to document first and to get advice before you act.

Does deleting the post cancel the defamation claim?

No. The publication has already been made, and the cause of action arose the moment it reached one person other than the injured person. However, section 19 of the Prohibition of Defamation Law allows the court to take into account, in the defendant’s favor, that they apologized, corrected or denied the publication, provided the apology was published “in the place, to the extent and in the manner in which the defamation was published, and was not qualified”. A private apology in a personal message does not meet this condition.