Dutch Tax Authority and Police named biggest privacy violators of 2025

The Dutch Tax Authority and the National Police were named the largest privacy violators of 2025 at the Big Brother Awards, an annual prize recognizing organizations or individuals that infringe on digital rights and privacy. The awards were presented at the Vlaams Cultuurhuis de Brakke Grond in Amsterdam.

Digital rights group Bits of Freedom has been giving the awards for 20 years to highlight breaches of citizens’ digital rights. This year, both the police and the Tax Authority were singled out, while other recipients received honorable mentions for defending privacy.

The National Police won the public award with 30 percent of the votes. Bits of Freedom cited the police for monitoring activists on social media and then visiting them at home without legal authorization.

Evelyn Austin, director of Bits of Freedom, said, “The lack of police awareness of this unequal power dynamic is appalling. Unannounced police visits are intimidating and can prevent people from exercising their right to demonstrate or freedom of expression.”

The expert award, selected by a four-member jury, went to the Dutch Tax Authority. The jury criticized the agency for continuing to use algorithms unlawfully even after the childcare benefits scandal. “Given the known consequences of discriminatory algorithms, this appears deliberate,” the jury said, adding that the agency shows little sign of learning from past mistakes.

Benjamin Jansen, director responsible for algorithm use at the Tax Authority, said the agency relies on algorithms to process billions of euros in taxes efficiently.

“Citizens expect rapid clarity and, where applicable, the return of overpaid taxes. And yes, for that we use algorithms. That has to be done, because it cannot be processed manually,” Jansen said. He acknowledged that the Data Protection Authority had stressed the need for “strong legal and ethical justification” for algorithm use and admitted the agency does not always meet this standard.

Honorable mentions included investigative platform BOOS and cybersecurity expert Bert Hubert, recipients of the Felipe Rodriquez Award for defending digital rights. BOOS was recognized for raising awareness of children’s rights in its coverage of family vlogs, while Hubert was honored for proposals supporting Dutch digital sovereignty without dependence on the United States. Other winners included The Rights Forum, Plant een Olijfboom, and PAX.

Last year, the public award went to Finance Minister Eelco Heinen (VVD) for policies that indirectly led to privacy violations and discrimination, including the use of discriminatory algorithms, while DPG Media won the expert prize for daily tracking and profiling practices.