Midden-Delfland accidentally leaked names, data of 133 people who opposed asylum shelter
The municipality of Midden-Delfland has accidentally published the personal information of 133 residents who filed objections to the construction of an asylum seekers' center in Den Hoorn, Omroep West reports. The data breach, which revealed full names, street addresses, and places of residence, was included in a public letter from the mayor and aldermen to the municipal council.
The document, containing the sensitive information as an attachment, was made publicly accessible earlier this week. The municipality removed and replaced the file with an anonymized version on Tuesday after discovering the error.
“We recognize that this is a breach of the privacy of the affected residents,” the municipality said in a written statement. “They will receive a letter this week explaining what happened and what actions have been taken.”
The release of the data, the municipality stated, was the result of human error and violated local privacy policy. “The (unintentional) publication of personal data is contrary to municipal policy,” the statement read. “The municipality regrets this situation.”
The municipality has reported the incident to the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens). The residents whose data was exposed had lodged formal objections earlier this year against the zoning permit granted for the asylum seekers’ center in Den Hoorn. Despite the objections, construction of the center began last month.
