Bureau Krediet Registratie (BKR) Foundation should not charge people who want to access their personal data digitally. And when people want to access their personal data at BKR by mail, it should be possible to do so easily and at reasonable intervals. BKR set too high thresholds for inspection. That's not allowed under privacy laws. That is why the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP) imposed a fine of 830,000 euros on BKR. The AP received complaints about the thresholds BKR raised when people wanted to view their personal data. This prompted the AP to investigate.
Aleid Wolfsen, chairman of the AP: "Access to personal data on credit registrations is very important. A negative credit registration can have consequences for getting a loan or mortgage. It is therefore important to be able to easily and quickly find out what personal data about you is being processed and whether this is done properly."
BKR charged a fee for digital retrieval of personal data starting in May 2018. Also, people could only access their data once a year (by mail) without a fee. This is not allowed under privacy laws. Therefore, a fine of 830,000 euros was imposed.
BKR changed the way it works after the AP's investigation. Since April 2019, people can access their data at BKR digitally for free. Also, starting in March 2019, BKR adjusted the number of times people can access their personal data by mail.
BKR has appealed the case in court. As a result, the AP's decision on the fine to be imposed is not yet final.
View the AP's decision here
