RTL.co.uk, 2 April 2014: 'License plates now stored for four weeks'

“License plates recorded by cameras on motorways will now be allowed to be kept for four weeks by police and the judiciary. Now, that data still has to be destroyed immediately.

A debate on license plate storage will be held in the Lower House this afternoon. A majority of the Lower House will vote in favour of Minister Opstelten's bill, according to a round-up by RTL News.

500 cameras
Some 500 cameras are set up along Dutch highways to record which cars drive past. The license plates are immediately compared with a file of people who are wanted. If there is a 'hit', the police take action, otherwise the data is destroyed again.

Soon that will change: police will also be allowed to use license plates that do not produce a hit later. This will allow the police, for example, to find out after a robbery whether a car was at a certain place around the time of the robbery. That information can be used not only in tracking down a suspect, but also as - part of - evidence against someone.

Also date and time saved
Besides the registration number and a photograph of the vehicle, the date and time a car was at a particular place may also be stored. The name of the owner of the car is not stored, which the police can request from the vehicle registration register if there is reason to do so.
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Privacy organisations are worried. Bas Filippini, of the Privacy First foundation, feels that the law turns "every Dutch citizen into a potential suspect": "It is not well safeguarded. for example, can I as a citizen know whether I am in such a database? Am I registered? What happened to my data?""

Source: http://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/politiek/kentekens-voortaan-vier-weken-opgeslagen, 2 April 2014.