Policy Observatory
Dutch government sued over data retention law
The Dutch data retention law will have its day in court on Feb. 18, when the District Court of the Hague hears a legal challenge to it filed by a broad coalition of organizations. The Dutch government decided in November largely to maintain the national data retention law on the grounds that it “is indispensable for the investigation and prosecution of serious criminal offenses.” Only a few adjustments to the law were deemed necessary, mainly tightening who has access to the data and under which circumstances. By maintaining the law, the government also ignored the advice given by the Council of State, a constitutional advisory body that concluded that the Dutch data retention law should be withdrawn because it violates fundamental privacy laws.
Country: Netherlands
Domains: Privacy
Stakeholder: Government
Tags: data retention, fundamental rights, surveillance, privacy