Ahead of the Lower House elections on Oct. 29, in this election special we compare the positions of the eight major parties according to the polls. In this edition, we juxtapose the digitization agendas of the SP and JA21.
Disclaimer: the comparison is based solely on the election manifestos, not other statements by party leaders or group members.
Both parties recognize that the government must take a stronger directing role in digitization, but they place different emphases.
The SP calls for firm public control, housed in a special Ministry of Digital Affairs to protect citizens from the negative effects of technology. According to the SP, government systems should run on open source and open standards, while public data should be stored exclusively in Dutch data centers. In addition, the party proposes a digital precautionary principle: technological innovations should only be allowed after an ethical and social test.
JA21 shares the desire for more national control, but from the perspective of digital sovereignty. According to the party, Dutch data belong in national cloud solutions, under Dutch law. Foreign - especially American or Chinese - tech companies should be barred. JA21 wants a national digitalization strategy in which government and market clearly cooperate, with a responsible ministry that sharply tests for effectiveness.
From that governing perspective, visions of AI continue to diverge.
Above all, the SP sees artificial intelligence as something that must be firmly regulated. Transparency is essential: it should always be visible what has been created by AI, and AI systems should only be trained with public information. The party opposes automated decision-making without human intervention in major decisions. Public alternatives to large platforms should be strengthened, and the Personal Data Authority (AP) will have a greater role in oversight.
JA21, on the other hand, views AI primarily as an economic driver. Instead, the party wants to encourage applications - especially in SMEs, education, healthcare and Defense. Ethics remain a framework, but the main goal is productivity growth. Human control remains required, however: government should never lean entirely on algorithms. JA21 also advocates that knowledge of AI be present at board level so that policy and oversight rest on sufficient expertise.
Where AI is about innovation and direction, the next theme is about protection.
The SP considers digital security a basic need. Investments should therefore go primarily to prevention and public direction. Companies are required to have strict cybersecurity policies, with special attention to civil rights and supervision of tech companies and platforms. Young people and other vulnerable groups must also be better protected, including through accessible media education.
JA21 takes a more security-oriented approach here. The party links cybersecurity to national defense: the Defense Cyber Command will be expanded, and active counteraction must be possible in case of threats. Dutch companies will be given priority in public cybersecurity projects. In addition, JA21 wants to promote digital resilience at an early age through education and privacy awareness.
The emphasis on protection also returns in the privacy positions, though with a different premise by party.
The SP argues that data minimization should be leading in both government and business. Citizens must know what data about them is being used and retain the right to have it deleted. Trade in personal data will be banned wherever possible, and the AP will be given more clout. Free digital services must also offer the same privacy protection as paid-for products.
JA21 instead focuses on digital autonomy and fundamental rights. The party wants to enshrine digital rights in the Constitution and prevent government data from falling into foreign hands. Within institutions, privacy watchdogs are given a strong, independent role. Profiling based on ethnicity or mental health will be explicitly prohibited.
Finally, the parties differ in how they want to use digitization economically.
The SP sees digitalization primarily as a social lever. It wants to strengthen public alternatives to commercial platforms, enforce transparency in algorithms and strictly regulate Big Tech. There should also be an investment bank to support SMEs, and the Internet is considered a utility: everyone is entitled to digital or alternative public services.
JA21 links digitalization precisely to national autonomy and economic growth. A national investment bank should stimulate innovation, with priority given to fiber optics and regional digitization. The party emphasizes that technological innovation is only sustainable if it remains understandable to citizens and fits within the human scale. The market is given room, provided that strategic autonomy and security are guaranteed.
This article was created (in part) using AI, based on [JA21: Right Approach for Holland and SP: SUPERSOCIAL!].
