The Public Prosecutor's Office is conducting criminal investigations into the data breach at the Clinical Diagnostics laboratory in Rijswijk. In a hack, the personal data of 485,000 people were stolen.
The hack came to light through reports from the Bevolkingsonderzoek Nederland foundation. The hacked laboratory was involved in the population screening for cervical cancer. According to the reports, the personal data of more than 485,000 women would have been stolen.
Because of the great social impact, the police and the Public Prosecutor's Office started a criminal investigation two weeks ago on their own initiative. Women who have received a letter from the Bevolkingsonderzoek Nederland foundation that their data have been stolen therefore no longer need to report it for that purpose. The criminal investigation is separate from any civil proceedings.
The investigation is focusing on who stole the data. Meanwhile, digital traces have been requisitioned by police at Clinical Diagnostics. Because of the investigative interest, the prosecutor's office did not disclose its investigation earlier.
