Dutch National Police violated data privacy in using European information system
The Dutch National Police violated the law on several occasions while processing personal data in the so-called Schengen Information System (SIS), as reported by the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) on Wednesday following a European investigation.
The SIS is a European information-sharing system used primarily for security a and border management within the Schengen Area. It enables the exchange of information among European countries about individuals and objects of interest, such as missing persons, criminals, and stolen property.
The investigation revealed that the main issue with the Dutch National Police's use of the SIS was the poor quality of alerts, leading to inaccurate or incomplete information about individuals being stored. Additionally, there were cases where these alerts were retained in the system longer than necessary.
“Often, people aren't aware that they are listed in the SIS, so they don't verify the legitimacy or accuracy of the information,” said Katja Mur, a DPA official. “This places an extra heavy responsibility on the SIS users, as registration can significantly impact individuals, such as through unjust border refusal or unnecessary detention.”
The DPA observed that the National Police did not adequately verify the accuracy of alerts in the system. The DPA also discovered instances where individuals were incorrectly registered in the SIS for inappropriate reasons, and information about older alerts and their history was absent.
Alerts regarding individuals are permissible for storage for a year. Only after a thorough, individual assessment can this duration be extended. However, the DPA noted that the National Police extended the retention of these alerts without such an assessment.
In 2022, the National Police implemented a plan to improve the quality of alerts in the SIS. The DPA monitored this implementation and concluded that the police had taken sufficient measures, thus resolving the previously identified violations.
