Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Top stories
  • Health
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Weird
  • 1-1-2
Image
Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus speaking in parliament with Health Minister Hugo de Jonge and Prime Minister Mark Rutte sitting behind him, 2 September 2020
Justice Minister Ferdinand Grapperhaus speaking in parliament with Health Minister Hugo de Jonge and Prime Minister Mark Rutte sitting behind him, 2 September 2020 - Credit: Tweede Kamer / Tweede Kamer
Politics
Big Brother Awards
privacy violation
Hugo de Jonge
Ministry of Public Health Welfare and Sports
Ministry of Justice and Security
Bits of Freedom
privacy
Ministry for Legal Protection
coronavirus access pass
2G system
Monday, 13 December 2021 - 09:43
Share this:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
  • reddit

Health, Justice Ministers win Big Brother Award for privacy violations

Caretaker Ministers Hugo de Jonge (Public Health) and Ferdinand Grapperhaus (Justice and Security) have the dubious honor of winning the Big Brother Award this year. Every year, civil rights organization Bits of Freedom presents these awards to "the biggest privacy violators in the Netherlands."

De Jonge received the Audience Award with a large majority of the votes for introducing the coronavirus access pass. According to Bits of Freedom, that measure is "insufficiently motivated." The civil rights organization applauds the fact that the Cabinet has postponed the introduction of the 2G policy, in which a negative test is no longer sufficient to get a QR code for your access pass.

Grapperhaus received an oeuvre prize from the professional jury "for a whole series of missteps" by his Ministry. "It is not often that we present a Lifetime Achievement Award, but this Ministry has made us so furious that we and our jury of experts saw no other option," said Bits of Freedom director Evelyn Austin. "For example, caretaker Minister Grapperhaus secretly turned the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV) into a new secret service, the police under his supervision break the law time and again, and our Minister for Legal Protection seems to have disappeared completely without a trace."

Grapperhaus personally received his award. Minister De Jonge was too busy to be there in person.

Reporting by ANP

Follow us:

Latest stories

  • Bladel man sentenced to juvenile detention for New Year's Eve fatal stabbing
  • Hundreds of AI-written books available on Dutch webshop Bol.com: Report
  • Utrecht University chose not to be included on the Times Higher Education rankings
  • Rotterdam shootings suspect may have targeted Erasmus MC exam board member
  • Overweight people more likely to die of Covid-19, Dutch study confirms
  • Rotterdam shootings suspect expressed right-wing extremist views online

Top stories

  • Erasmus MC lecturer killed in Rotterdam shootings described as amiable, involved GP
  • Erasmus hospital was warned about student Fouad L., suspected of killing 3 in Rotterdam
  • Annual inflation rate drops to 0.2%, lowest in 7 years; Groceries 10% more expensive
  • Third victim, a 14-year-old girl, dies from injuries in Rotterdam shootings
  • Two killed, teen critically injured in Rotterdam shootings; Suspect a med student
  • Suspect arrested in Erasmus hospital shooting and fires; At least one dead

© 2012-2023, NL Times, All rights reserved.

Footer menu

  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Partner content