Increasing soccer violence in Dutch stadiums raises major concerns regarding the maintenance of public order among Dutch municipalities. This is why the government has been working for years on deploying digital technology for effective control of stadium bans. Starting next month, the Ministry of Justice and Security will test a digital reporting system in Rotterdam, Utrecht and Leeuwarden.
Municipalities Rotterdam, Leeuwarden and Utrecht will conduct a pilot test from early November with a digital reporting requirement for soccer hooligans on whom stadium bans have been imposed, reports the Ministry of Justice and Security in a press release.
In 2015, parliament tightened the Football Act with new measures to better control soccer hooligans punished with an area ban. The changes to the law also include the introduction of a digital reporting requirement, which may be imposed by mayors instead of a physical report at a specific location, such as a police station. This alternative allows municipalities to deploy fewer police officers in stadium areas, as a shortage of officers is often experienced in other parts of cities during games (1).
People who receive a digital reporting requirement will carry a wearable device called the "Mini-ID" during games that allows them to identify and report using their fingerprint. The Mini-ID records whether the person complies with the area ban. The ministry considers this to be a less intrusive measure than the existing physical reporting requirement, which is often too disproportionate and takes up police capacity. Therefore, the latter measure is being used less and less frequently.
In 2020, the ministry introduced a pilot for a digital mandatory reporting app. At that time, however, a technical analysis by the Justice Information Service revealed that the prototype was not suitable for operational use. This was mainly due to the technical feasibility of certain functions and the fraud risks associated with sharing location data, which could trigger the use of a regular VPN. Minister Yesilgöz-Zegerius stated to the House of Representatives earlier this year that the implementation of a digital reporting requirement should be postponed until a robust, secure and widely applicable digital solution is available (2).
The use of Mini-ID technology should prevent precisely these vulnerabilities. Already in November, 10 volunteer participants will receive their Mini-ID device to wear during a two-month testing phase. During this period, the subjects will test the technical and organizational functioning of the technology with fictitious reports. In a second phase, the government will conduct the same experiment with people who have actually received area bans with reporting requirements.
Didier Meuwly, professor of forensic biometrics at the University of Twente and chief scientist at the Netherlands Forensic Institute, believes the Mini-ID solution strikes the right balance between the interests at stake. 'The device is certainly less invasive than the physical reporting requirement. The fingerprint also offers a practical solution and strong verification of identity. As long as the biometric data collected does not go beyond the device, this also complies with privacy rules,' he told PONT | Data & Privacy.
(1) https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/publicatie/2022/09/veiligheidsmonitor-2021
(2) https://www.tweedekamer.nl/kamerstukken/kamervragen/detail?id=2023D12960&did=2023D12960
