The Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens AP) is going to oversee that the UWV takes remedial measures towards a large group of people on benefits. The UWV illegally tracked the online behavior of people on unemployment benefits until the beginning of this year. The UWV recently promised the AP to rectify the matter. In implementing this, the AP is emphatically keeping its finger on the pulse.
Specifically, this now includes the UWV checking in 703 cases whether people have had their benefits wrongly cut, or whether people have been wrongly fined.
The NOS revealed the UWV's unlawful actions in July. Media coverage then revealed that the UWV had used data from WW benefit recipients until mid-February for an algorithm called Risicoscan Verblijf Buiten Nederland. The UWV tracked and analyzed the behavior of visitors to UWV websites to see if they were illegally residing abroad while receiving WW benefits. Website visitors were not told they were being tracked.
The AP asked for clarification after this disclosure. The UWV acknowledges having been in violation. The organization will now take the next steps:
To inform every WW benefit recipient whose personal data have been unlawfully used for the Risk Scan Residence Abroad.
Determine whether the affected unemployment benefit recipients have suffered damages, and compensate those damages.
Create a plan of action for these measures and report regularly to the AP on progress.
AP board member Katja Mur: 'Just following people online is of course not allowed in the Netherlands. That understanding is now hopefully also present at the UWV. The AP trusts that the UWV will put things right. If not, that could be grounds for heightened supervision or a monitoring investigation and enforcement by the AP.'
