Metronieuws.co.uk, 23 Nov 2012: 'Fight hackers with expertise, not rules'

"More regulation is not the solution in the fight against cybercrime. Instead, the government should invest in more expertise, Bits of Freedom argues in a memorandum also signed by several professors from Dutch universities, the Humanist Society and the Privacy First Foundation, among others.

The memorandum is intended as background information for a consultation in the Lower House in early December on cyber security policy. According to Bits of Freedom, the government is too much guided by incidents in this area. "The government lacks vision on what comprises good cyber security policies. Moreover, extreme proposals risk making the internet more unsafe instead of safer."

According to the organisation, most security problems come from simple "vulnerabilities" that can be easily fixed. For example, less privacy-sensitive data should be stored, such as fingerprints, phone records and traffic data. "With principles like data minimisation or decentralisation, we can prevent the next data leak, simply because there is nothing or not enough to leak."

Investment in knowledge and capacity in the government and police is also needed, Bits of Freedom believes. "The government now often does not have sufficient knowledge and capacity to adequately respond to cybersecurity incidents and use existing powers effectively."

Furthermore, the government should lead by example by relying less on external parties and by structurally educating internet users on how to improve their own security."

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