Police illegally shared citizens' data with Tax Authority for years: report

For years the Oost-Nederland police illegally shared criminal information and personal details of thousands of people suspected of illegal cannabis cultivation with the Tax Authority, NRC reports based on an internal letter in its possession.

The police gave the tax service information regarding the number of cannabis plants, the type of equipment, and the power consumption involved in the plantation. The suspect's rental agreement and personal details were also shared with the Tax Authority, according to the newspaper.

Based on the data provided, the Tax Authority could send an additional income tax assessment to the suspect, one which includes money earned from the illegal cannabis cultivation. This involved about 600 suspects a year over a period of almost seven years, according to the newspaper.

According to NRC, a privacy expert informed the police unit that this sharing of information was unlawful - the police were not complying with the Police Data Act and therefore had no legal basis to share citizens' personal data with the Tax Authority.

A spokesperson for the Oost-Nederland police told NRC that the force has stopped this data sharing.