Dutch Data Protection Body Fines 10 Municipalities for Covert Surveillance of Muslim Residents
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\nTen municipalities in the Netherlands have been fined a combined \u20ac250,000 for secretly gathering and analyzing data on their Muslim residents, IQNA reported. <\/p>\n
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has fined the 10 municipalities for violating privacy laws by conducting research into Muslim communities without their knowledge.<\/p>\n
The fact that municipalities had secretly commissioned studies and processed files containing sensitive information about Muslim residents was first revealed in 2021.<\/p>\n
The investigations stemmed from fears of radicalization linked to the rise of Daesh and the Syrian civil war.<\/p>\n
Following calls from the Dutch government and the counterterrorism agency NCTV to curb radicalization and prevent travel to Syria, ten municipalities hired an external firm to collect information on local Muslim communities, including mosque structures and key figures, the AP noted.<\/p>\n
While the scope of the reports differed, all included details about individuals\u2019 religious beliefs, such as their Islamic denomination. Some went further, compiling names, photographs, family details and accounts of internal mosque dynamics, with detailed personal profiles included in several cases.<\/p>\n
Some of the reports were reportedly also shared with the police, the NCTV and the Social Affairs and Employment Ministry.<\/p>\n
The Dutch data protection authority said the breaches were serious because they involved sensitive religious data, noting that municipalities had failed to properly understand their legal responsibilities.<\/p>\n
The watchdog said the municipalities would accept the fines, and the city of Delft has since issued an apology on Tuesday to local Muslim groups, including the Al-Ansaar Mosque, over the covert research.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dutch Data Protection Body Fines 10 Municipalities for Covert Surveillance of Muslim Residents ————————————————– Ten municipalities in the Netherlands have been fined a combined \u20ac250,000 for secretly gathering and analyzing data on their Muslim residents, IQNA reported. The Dutch Data Protection Authority (AP) has fined the 10 municipalities for violating privacy laws by conducting research …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":139986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[12511],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-netherlands"],"yoast_head":"\n