Violating privacy could lead to €800k in fines

The Tweede Kamer (lower house of parliament) wants the Data Protection Authority (CBP) to be able to immediately impose fines of up to 800 thousand euros for gross violations of privacy, NOS reports.

"We are concerned about gross violations of privacy", said VVD Parliamentarian Van Wijngaarden. "Such as the situation if you are wheeled into the emergency room of a hospital and are being filmed by a camera crew of a TV show without your knowledge." He is referring to the former television program '24 uur tussen leven en dood' (24 hours between life and death). The only episode that ever aired showed images of patients in the emergency room of the VU Medical Center in Amsterdam. Many of the patients did not realize that they were being filmed.

Coalition parties VVD and PvdA want State Secretary Fred Teeven to include the issuing of fines in his legislative proposal on privacy, NOS reports. Teeven also wants to give the CBP more power, but not as much as the Tweede Kamer wants. He thinks that the CBP will have too much power if it may both determine privacy rules and punish infringements.