New bill seeks to expand the powers of Dutch intelligence services
In the media image: Marten Newhall on Unsplash
The Netherlands is proposing new legislation to expand the powers of the intelligence and security services. Jan-Jaap Oerlemans, assistant professor of criminal law, discussed the impact of the proposal with ‘NRC’: ‘The devil is in the details.’
The Dutch government is seeking to expand the powers of the national intelligence and security services through new legislation. The proposed changes are intended to help the Netherlands better counter threats posed by Russia and China. At present, any request to intercept communications or conduct a cyber operation must receive prior approval from the Intelligence and Security Services Review Committee (TIB). The proposed legislation would largely abolish this requirement, allowing the intelligence services to intercept communications, conduct surveillance, and carry out hacking operations against designated adversaries for up to a year.
According to Jan-Jaap Oerlemans, the new bill could significantly improve the effectiveness of the intelligence services. ‘The more oversight and review you have at the front end, the less quickly you can act, and sometimes you simply do not have that time. That is the reasoning from the perspective of the intelligence services.’ However, he also issued a warning: ‘This concerns the protection of fundamental rights. With this kind of legislation, the devil is in the details, which is why it deserves careful and extensive debate.’
More information?
Read the full article in NRC (€, in Dutch)