Gov't parties open to adjusting new data mining law: report

The four parties in the Dutch government are willing to consider adapting the new law for the intelligence and security services. Responsible Minister Kasja Ollongren of Home Affairs will soon present a number of proposals for amendments, sources told BNR.

On March 21st a majority of Dutch voters voted against this new law, officially called the Security and Intelligence Law, in a referendum. The law is set to be implemented on May 1st.

Before the D66 joined the Rutte III government, the party was against the law. But the other three parties in the government - VVD, CDA and ChristenUnie - all support it. Last autumn CDA leader Sybrand Buma still said that the government would ignore the outcome of the referendum if a majority voted against the law. After the results were announced, he said that it was up to the government "to decide what it will do", according to NU.nl.

There is basically no chance that this law will be completely scrapped, but it may be amended on some points. Even parties that campaigned against the law do not want it to be abolished completely. They mostly called for adjustments in the fields of data retention periods and the sharing of data with foreign secret services.

This law gives the Netherlands' two intelligence and security services AIVD and MIVD more power. The biggest change is that the AIVD and MIVD will be able to tap telephone and internet traffic on a large scale. The services will also be allowed to perform hacks more often, and on a larger range - where the services can now only hack a specific suspect, the new law allows them to reach the suspect by hacking the computer of a housemate, for example. The new law also gives the services the capability of storing DNA material for investigations. The expansion of powers is balanced with more supervision on the services.