Privacy First annual report 2011

"In the first decade of the 21st century, the right to privacy came under enormous pressure in the Netherlands. On the one hand, this resulted from the collective mindset after '9/11′, in which classic civil rights such as the right to privacy seemed to have less and less place. On the other hand, it resulted from lightning-fast technological developments that posed inherent privacy risks. Examples include the rise of the internet, mobile telephony, camera surveillance and biometrics: all technology intended to serve people, but which can just as easily disrupt our society. For instance, when it is misused or thoughtlessly used without proper privacy safeguards. An ICT dream can then quickly turn into a societal nightmare. These observations were behind the establishment of the Privacy First Foundation in March 2009. Already a few months later (in the summer of 2009), the first positive social turning point could be observed: partly under pressure from Privacy First, the storage of fingerprints under the new Passport Act led to a storm of criticism. This subsequently worked as a social crowbar: because of all the fuss surrounding the Passport Act, a broad Dutch privacy movement emerged. Since then, Privacy First has gradually expanded its scope and the issue of privacy has moved higher and higher up the social agenda..."

Read HERE further in Privacy First's 2011 annual report!