A bill that gives NCTV the ability to track citizens online has to go back to the drawing board. That became clear on Thursday during a debate in the House of Representatives. A parliamentary majority wants Minister Dilan Yesilgöz (Justice and Security, VVD) to limit the activities of the NCTV.
The debate was held in response to reports in NRC about abuses at the NCTV. For example, online statements from activists and religious leaders were collected to write analyzes about them, without a legal basis. Yesilgöz still wants to give the NCTV that authority.
Are you saying that the NCTV is no longer allowed to consult open sources?
Dilan Yesilgoz Minister of Justice and Security
According to the minister, the NCTV cannot perform important tasks without this law. For example, the coordinator can no longer investigate what the extreme right is doing online, or how Dutch jihadists react on social media to the appointment of a new IS leader. Several mayors would also have said Yesilgöz to miss the NCTV’s analyses.
The House of Representatives was unanimously extremely critical of the NCTV. Several parties even questioned the coordinator’s right to exist. Could the online investigation not be better conducted by the AIVD, suggested Hanneke van der Werf (D66). And what was the rest of the NCTV actually for? Various parties submitted motions not to give the NCTV powers in the new law to conduct online investigations into citizens.
Also read: ‘NCTV should be put under surveillance just like the Secret Service’
Understanding and misunderstanding
Yesilgöz showed understanding for the criticism. “I understand that the law, as it is now before us, does require some adjustment.” But there was also a lot of misunderstanding between the minister and the House. “Are you saying that the NCTV is no longer allowed to consult open sources?” Yesilgöz told Van der Werf. “Then we have to see what the NCTV is allowed to do at all from the House. Because this is going a long way.” The NCTV would then be completely “crippled”.
Earlier, a minority of predominantly left-wing parties such as SP, D66, Denk, GroenLinks, Bij1, PvdD and PvdA opposed the extension of the powers of the NCTV. Now parties on the right wing such as PVV and BBB are also against the bill, and the VVD was critical. The fact that the vote has changed is mainly because it recently appeared that the NCTV also distributed analyzes warning about parties such as the PVV. Wrongly, Yesilgöz said. She promised the House that these kinds of analyzes will “never again” be made. Whether it is enough for the House will become clear this autumn. Then Yesilgöz sends her amended bill to the House.