Police Routinely Search Transit Card Data

Police and courtroom officials regularly use data collected from public transportation cards and an organization monitoring street parking, according to De Telegraaf. The newspaper's investigation into investigation practices found that Translink Systems, the company which runs the OV-chipkaart transit cards, releases confidential customer data several times per week.

The OV-chipkkart is said to become the exclusive payment system for all buses, subways, trams and trains in 2014. The system has been relentlessly criticized by privacy groups for the amount of personal data collect and stored for up to a year.

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A spokesman for Translink Systems told the newspaper the data is often released to police to assist in finding missing persons.

Investigators have also been tapping the database of SHPV, the company which handles electronic parking payments. The database includes license plate numbers, payment details, the amount of parking time that has been paid for in cities across the country, including Almere, Amersfoort and Amsterdam.

The newspaper claims an SHPV spokesman was reluctant to make the data sharing practice public. The company keeps data for up to 13 weeks, and often shares data for investigation into the use of fraudulent debit cards.