Awareness Compliance and Legislation Defense & Government Ethics

House of Representatives seeks ban on generative AI in primary education

The Dutch House of Representatives wants generative AI to be banned in primary schools. A motion by Volt calling for this was co-sponsored by CDA, D66, 50Plus, ChristenUnie, JA21, DENK, PvdD, PRO, and SP. The motion was submitted yesterday during the debate on the budget of the Ministry of Education. According to Volt MP Dassen, […]

Compliance and Legislation Cybersecurity Defense & Government Risk management Vulnerability

Cabinet rejects pause on AI development but warns of systemic risks

The cabinet sees no scientific evidence that superintelligent AI can be developed at this time. This was stated by State Secretary Aerdts for Digital Economy in response to parliamentary questions from SGP member Stoffer regarding the security risks of increasingly powerful AI systems. However, the cabinet does observe a significant concentration of computing power and […]

Biometrics Compliance and Legislation Defense & Government Personal data Privacy

Public Prosecution Service completes pilot with genealogical DNA databases and deploys new investigative tool

The Public Prosecution Service (OM), the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI), and the police have completed their pilot with genealogical DNA databases. The result is a completely new investigative tool for the Netherlands for serious criminal cases. In two of the six selected cold cases, the pilot yielded useful leads. The method compares DNA profiles from […]

Compliance and Legislation Defense & Government Incident Response Information Security

Minister Van Weel Demands Major Catch-up Effort in Information Security at the Public Prosecution Service

Minister David van Weel of Justice and Security has made it clear in a firm response that digital security at the Public Prosecution Service (OM) must improve drastically. He states that a significant catch-up effort is required to bring information security up to the necessary level. These statements follow the painful conclusions of an independent […]

Compliance and Legislation Defense & Government Incident Response Information Security Security

Years of deficiencies in IT security led to a major hack at the Public Prosecution Service

The information security of the IT systems of the Public Prosecution Service (OM) was insufficient for years, an independent commission of inquiry has concluded. This structural vulnerability resulted in a serious cyber breach in July 2025. The attackers managed to infiltrate by successfully exploiting a vulnerability in internet-facing Citrix NetScaler systems. Because the OM had […]

AI Compliance and Legislation Defense & Government

Cabinet holds AI developers liable for cyberattacks by autonomous AI agents

The Dutch cabinet has taken a clear and cautionary stance on the rapidly growing threat of autonomous artificial intelligence in the cyber domain. According to the government, developers and providers of advanced AI models bear responsibility when their so-called AI agents independently exploit vulnerabilities and carry out hacks. This firm approach follows increasing concerns from […]

Compliance and Legislation Data Minimization Defense & Government Digital Identity Privacy

Cabinet embraces European ID wallet for secure online age verification

The Dutch cabinet views the upcoming European digital identity wallet (ID wallet) as the most promising and secure solution for online age verification. With the increasing societal call to better protect minors on social media and during the online purchase of age-restricted products, the need for reliable checks is more urgent than ever. The fundamental […]

Compliance and Legislation Defense & Government NIS2

Cyber Mayors Demand Structural Financial Support from National Government for Digital Security

Dutch cyber mayors are collectively sounding the alarm, demanding that the cabinet provide the necessary funding for local information security. Municipalities are being assigned increasingly heavy tasks and legal obligations from The Hague and Europe to protect their digital infrastructure, including the recent Cybersecurity Act (NIS2). Although awareness of digital threats such as ransomware and […]

Compliance and Legislation Cybersecurity Defense & Government Incident Response NIS2

When is an IT hack considered legal force majeure?

The court has officially ruled that the notorious Citrix hack at the Public Prosecution Service (OM) was a situation of force majeure. This decision is based on the fact that it involved an unknown zero-day vulnerability that lay entirely outside the organization’s influence and sphere of risk. A crucial element in this ruling was that […]

Defense & Government Privacy Security Surveillance

Police deploy drones to monitor traffic behavior

The national police are increasingly using drones to monitor the traffic behavior of motorists and to enable more targeted enforcement. With these flying cameras, officers can more efficiently supervise dangerous road situations, such as tailgating or smartphone use behind the wheel. While this is intended to benefit overall road safety, the deployment of this aerial […]