The government will extend the contract with online service provider Solvinity next month, despite opposition from the House of Representatives. That company manages services such as MijnOverheid and Digid for the government. The contract with Solvinity, which expires no later than 2028, will be extended for two years at the beginning of May.
In August of this year there would have been an opportunity to switch to another service provider. But State Secretary Eric van der Burg (Home Affairs, VVD) wrote on Saturday in response to parliamentary questions that he has no choice but to extend the contract, because otherwise “the continuity and security of services” could be jeopardized. Van der Burg had previously announced that it would not be enough time to find another party before August.
The fate of Solvinity is a much-discussed topic in Parliament. The company is about to be taken over by the American Kyndryl. Cyber experts and MPs fear that sensitive data could end up in the hands of the American authorities, and that even in theory government services could be disabled remotely.
Last week, Pieter van Oordt, the central privacy officer (CPO) of Logius, the IT organization of the Interior, raised the alarm in several media. A critical security analysis by his office would never have reached the House of Representatives, which means that, according to him, the House was incompletely informed. Van der Burg released the analysis last week.
On Tuesday, a motion calling for the contracts with Solvinity not to be extended in 2028 if the takeover goes ahead was supported by all parties except JA21. The government therefore ignores this motion.
An investigation by the Investment Assessment Bureau into the question of whether a takeover actually poses a threat to national security has not yet been completed.
