Dutch MP's want to ban making, distributing videos and pics of accidents
GroenLinks-PvdA and CDA want to ban citizens from recording the victims of accidents or violence and distributing those images. In parliament on Tuesday, the two parties will present a bill to make the sharing of such footage punishable by up to a year in prison.
“These images are then distributed on social media for their own entertainment. That is too outrageous for words,” CDA MP Derk Boswijk told NOS.
“The impact of this is enormous,” said GroenLinks-PvdA parliamentarian Songül Mutluer. “If relatives are repeatedly confronted with these images on Instagram, TikTok, or X, it is extremely traumatic.”
They also find it unacceptable that bystanders often reach for a phone to record rather than call the emergency services or offer help.
The MPs, therefore, want to make this behavior punishable with sentences of up to 1 year in prison or a fine of up to 9,000 euros. The two parties have been working on this legislation for seven years.
The Council of State was previously critical of the bill, saying that criminalization may not be the right method because it also infringes on citizens’ fundamental rights to share information with each other. The Council of State also doubted the enforceability given the police’s current capacity.
The parties have taken that criticism into account and updated their bill. If someone is the first to share images of a recognizable victim without consulting with the authorities or the victim’s family, they must be prosecuted.
