The cabinet wants to amend the Telecommunications Act to enable the sharing of telecom data in the fight against corona. The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) has assessed the proposal to amend the law and will announce its findings no later than when the cabinet publishes the bill.
'We have always said: the use of telecom data is only possible if it is regulated by law. According to current legislation this is not allowed,' says AP chairman Aleid Wolfsen.
'Anonymizing the data, where that data remains usable by the RIVM, is impossible in practice. And this is about very sensitive information: namely, who is where, day and night. This concerns the privacy of all Dutch people, of everyone with a cell phone. That is why extra care is needed.
Wolfsen: "We sharply tested the announced change in the law. Because privacy and the protection of your data are human rights. We must guard these well. Should the AP's advice be insufficiently incorporated in the bill, as a result of which privacy is not guaranteed, the AP will let us know before the House of Representatives debates the bill.
The effectiveness of using telecom data must be proportionate to the invasion of privacy. It must be clear why alternatives less invasive than sharing telecom data are not sufficient to combat the virus.
In addition, the AP looked at, among other things, whether the change in the law meets the frameworks on privacy agreed upon within the European Union.
Only if proposal meets the strict standards of privacy law, the AP gives a positive opinion.
This news item can also be found in the Coronavirus dossier
