Dutch municipalities fined for covert research on Muslim communities

The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, AP) has imposed financial penalties on ten municipalities for conducting covert research on local Muslim communities in violation of national privacy regulations. The fines, totaling €250,000 (approximately $295,000), were announced Thursday following an investigation into surveillance practices that came to light in 2021.

Nature of the violations and official condemnation

The AP determined that the municipalities had no legal basis to collect or hold the sensitive personal data involved. The studies, commissioned on the advice of the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV), involved external agencies gathering detailed information on mosque structures and key community figures without residents' knowledge. "The privacy of the affected people has been seriously violated. This has damaged trust in many municipalities," stated AP chairman Aleid Wolfsen.

Sharing of data with security agencies

Compounding the violation, the investigative reports containing this unauthorized personal data were reportedly shared with external agencies, including the national police, the NCTV itself, and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. This dissemination of privately compiled dossiers on citizens based on their religious affiliation represents a significant escalation of the privacy breach, extending the impact beyond local government.

List of penalized municipalities and broader context

The municipalities receiving fines are Delft, Ede, Eindhoven, Haarlemmermeer, Hilversum, Huizen, Gooise Meren, Tilburg, Veenendaal, and Zoetermeer. The case highlights ongoing tensions in Europe between national security policies and fundamental civil liberties, particularly concerning the surveillance of Muslim populations. The AP's decisive action serves as a regulatory rebuke against profiling and the clandestine collection of community data under the guise of security.