polder pundit

Soviet wet dreams become reality in Holland

In an article in yesterday’s newspaper “Het Parool”, the Council of Chief Constables of the Dutch police declared that the Dutch police uses hacking computers as a technique to obtain information on alleged criminals. They also introduce Trojans as a means to obtain evidence. “The police is quite happy with these techniques”, according to the Parool article.

Well, well. Last time we checked, hacking computers still was a crime, or at least a punishable offence, when carried out by civilians.

We are well aware that the police have the power, and the right, to do things that ordinary citizens are not allowed to. Like entering other people’s homes, which seems an appropriate example as entering somebody else’s computer is very similar to entering somebody’s home.

But before the police can search anybody’s home, they need a warrant. In the Parool article, there is no mention of warrants, the police seems to be happy hacking away as they like, on their own initiative, and without any prior authorization.

This reminds us of Germany, where similar techniques by the German police were forbidden last year.

That interdiction seems completely logical to us. Entering computers of citizens without justification and without authorization by a Justice official, without supervision, without the usual checks and balances, this kind of methods belong to a police state.

Not that we are far from a police state in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (or in the whole of the EU for that matter): already ISP’s have to keep traffic data for a period of 6 months to 2 years, and make it available to the Authorities on their demand.

Government-sanctioned hacking of citizens’ computers is only the logical next step. Actually, we can’t blame the police for doing this (although we hope the more decent officers spend some sleepless nights over this violation of privacy). But how would they be to blame? The whole European Union is poised to enter the privacy of its citizens. It’s the esprit du temps.

The defunct Soviet Union dreamt of doing this.

The EU can, and the Dutch police does.