The Dutch data protection authority has fined ten Dutch municipalities for storing sensitive information, such as religion and political preferences, about some of their Muslim citizens.
This fine is a result of the measures these municipalities were asked to take, at the request of the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security, to combat ‘radicalisation’ (from around 2011 to about 2016). These municipalities hired external research agencies to write reports mapping the social structures of Muslim communities and finding key figures within the mosques. These agencies did this without the knowledge of the people described in the reports.
The Dutch data protection authority considers this a gross violation of privacy. The ten municipalities lacked the legal authority to have this information and were unaware of their responsibilities. They have all acquiesced to their 250.000 euro fine and can now only use the information to facilitate the rights of the people affected.
See: Tien gemeenten beboet voor illegaal verwerken van informatie over islamitische mensen at Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens.
Image by Jamillah Knowles & Digit / Bold Office / Licenced by CC-BY 4.0.