Grief group asks Shin Bet to probe Ra'am election app

The Choosing Life Forum, a group representing families of terrorism victims, filed a formal complaint with Shin Bet chief David Zini on November 7. The organization requested a criminal investigation into an application it says senior Ra'am activists used to monitor voter participation during the October 27 election.

The app, identified as Aswatcom, allegedly allowed users to track turnout in real time at specific polling stations. According to the complaint, the tool helped manage the party's operations on election day. The forum stated the application was created on September 15, approximately six weeks before the vote, and recorded more than 500 downloads on the Google Play store.

The group claims developers based in Ramallah, who have ties to the Palestinian Authority, helped build the system. This involvement raised concerns that the developers may have accessed data regarding Israeli voters.

In the complaint, the forum asked Zini to seize the app's servers, databases, and activity logs to preserve evidence. The group also requested that investigators trace the specific activists who used the tool on election day and identify the entities that commissioned, funded, and developed the software.

The forum further demanded a review into whether Ra'am personnel operated the system from inside polling stations. It sought clarification on which party officials were involved and where the collected information was sent.

The group stated it would not allow election integrity to be compromised. It added that the Israeli public has a right to know that votes were counted lawfully, without prohibited surveillance, and without improper foreign involvement.