Over half of Dutch gov't websites are not secure

More than half of the Dutch government's websites still use an insecure internet connection, according to research done by the Open State Foundation. Many don't use the so-called HTTPS standard, which means hackers can easily eavesdrop on the sites or redirect traffic through malicious software, ANP reports.

Open State, an organization that aims to increase government transparency, examined over 1,800 government domains. Only 44 percent make use of a secure connection. Insecure sites include that of the Healthcare Inspectorate, disaster site Crisis.nl and even that of the Rijksrecherche - the state investigation department that investigates misconduct by government employees.

The PvdA asked parliamentary questions about the issue. They find it "incomprehensible" that the government isn't using HTTPS standard - a standard that's been used by banks for years and is now used by more and more sites - and want to know what risks the poorly secured sites entail. "This can and must be improved quickly", PvdA parliamentarian Kees Verhoeven said on Twitter.