Onze afluisterwet is eigenlijk een privacywet - Bert Hubert's writings
2 days ago
- The Dutch secret services are getting a new law that makes it easier to intercept and hack on a large scale, which they claim is essentially a privacy law.
- The law allows all internet and telephone cables to be monitored and data stored for a year, with provisions for sharing with foreign entities.
- In 2017, a previous version of the law led to societal uproar and a referendum against it, but it was revised and now passes with little opposition.
- The author suggests that historical memory of privacy violations from WWII has faded, and people trade privacy for free online services without realizing the cost.
- Privacy concerns are often ignored because immediate harms are not tangible, similar to climate change or pensions.
- The author warns about future risks such as government misuse of databases for repression, citing potential scenarios with political figures like Donald Trump.
- The Dutch government supported an EU proposal to scan phones for suspicious content, which was blocked by the European Parliament but remains a threat.
- Accumulated data could lead to innocent people having to constantly explain their actions, potentially making them victims of false accusations.