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NETHERLANDS: Dutch dragnet surveillance bill leaked: our analysis

06 May 2016

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"At the end of April, an updated draft for the Dutch dragnet surveillance bill was leaked. It turns out that minister of the Interior Ronald Plasterk persists on granting the secret services the power to carry out bulk interception of innocent citizens’ communications.

How did we get here?
Ever since the law was announced in 2013, one of the main concerns of the debate has been how the dragnet will function and how extensive it will actually be. It led to a squabble between Plasterk and members of parliament. The latter weren’t keen on the idea of a dragnet, so Plasterk decided to rename it. Bulk interception became “purpose-oriented” interception. It sounded different, true, but we were afraid the meaning had been left unchanged.

Squabbles be squabbles
The bill remained vague. Based on the draft that was released for public consultation in September 2015, a dragnet could definitely be in our future. The explanatory memorandum didn’t do much towards clearing things up. We weren’t alone in voicing harsh criticism about what was being proposed. After all, the government has to be clear about their plans and the extent of their reach."

See the full text: Dutch dragnet surveillance bill leaked: our analysis (Bits of Freedom, link)

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