Dutch Government Seeks New Cybercrime Legislation

By Jeff Goldman

In a letter from Dutch Minister of Security and Justice Ivo Opstelten to the country’s parliament, the minister recently noted that Dutch police often need access to computer systems but don’t yet have the power to hack into computers.

“[A] new bill would include a section that allows cybercrime investigators to breach a computer in search for evidence, but also for the purpose of wiretapping confidential communications,” writes Softpedia’s Eduard Kovacs. “Opstelten also wants to allow authorities to remotely retrieve data from a server located outside the country’s borders without spending precious time to determine the exact location of the information.”

“Another possibility is that … software could be used to delete content remotely,” writes The Inquirer’s Dave Neal. “This could be used to wipe child pornography from servers for example, or to take down a botnet.”

“Last year, Opstelten confirmed eavesdropping software that can be installed from a distance on the computers of suspects has been used in criminal investigations in the Netherlands,” DutchNews.nl reports. “Eavesdropping is only allowed when very serious crimes have been committed where suspects are in temporary custody, the public prosecution department said at the time.”