- AIVD and MIVD handle bulk datasets carelessly and sometimes unlawfully, as shown in a recent report.
- Bulk datasets can contain personal data of millions of people, obtained from informants, foreign services, or commercial sources.
- Using these datasets allows intelligence services to bypass strict procedures and oversight required for targeted data collection.
- The accumulation of bulk data increases risks of errors and privacy violations, and storing data alone constitutes interference with privacy under European law.
- The services have a history of refusing to destroy datasets and failing to comply with new agreements, according to the oversight committee CTIVD.
- Some datasets are harmless (e.g., old phone books), but sensitive data like location or travel records requires strict access controls.
- The CTIVD has proposed 13 improvements, and a new Intelligence and Security Services Act (Wiv2024) is expected this summer to regulate bulk data handling.