The Public Prosecution Service is investigating the hack at Laboratory Clinical Diagnostics in Rijswijk, with the data of more than 485,000 women being stolen earlier this month. They participated in a population screening for cervical cancer. Two weeks ago, the OM opened the investigation ‘on its own initiative’ because of the ‘great social impact’ of the hack, writes The organization.
The OM hopes to find out who stable the data and has requested ‘digital traces’ from Clinical Diagnostics. Earlier, the Healthcare and Youth Inspectorate (IGJ) and the Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) already announced their own investigation.
Laboratory Clinical Diagnostics was hired by the Netherlands Population screening to investigate smears and self -tests. At the hack, names, addresses, places of residence, birth dates, citizen service number and test results were captured. Population screening The Netherlands sent women who participated in a study already a letter about leaking their data.
The OM writes on Wednesday that women who received that letter no longer have to make a report with the aim of bringing about a criminal investigation. But the investigation does not exclude civil proceedings, so women can tighten a case against Clinical Diagnostics.