RTLNews.co.uk, 16 August 2017: 'Referendum against wiretap law collects 10,000 signatures'

“The first hurdle has been taken: the initiative for a referendum on the interception law has collected 10,000 signatures. To reach a referendum, 300,000 signatures need to be collected.

The referendum is an initiative by a group of concerned students from Amsterdam, as they expressed themselves on the website mention. On Twitter, the initiative announces that 10,000 signatures have now been collected.

The initiative believes the new law gives the secret services AIVD and MIVD too many powers. For example, the services are allowed to conduct large-scale Internet tapping. This process also involves storing data of innocent citizens.

Digital signatures

As with the Ukraine referendum, the signatures will be collected via a website. These digital signatures must be printed out and handed in on paper to the Electoral Council. If the first 10,000 signatures are approved, students will have six weeks to collect 300,000 signatures.

If the total of 300,000 is reached, an advisory referendum will be organised in which citizens can vote for or against the interception law. If the turnout is at least 30 per cent of eligible voters, the result will be submitted to the prime minister.

Criticism

The Senate voted 11 July in favour of the revamped Intelligence and Security Services Act (Wiv). This law gives the secret services, among other things, the ability to conduct untargeted tapping of internet cable. The data collected may be kept for three years, even if it is not relevant to the investigation.

The law has been heavily criticised by the Dutch privacy watchdog Authority Persoonsgegevens and government advisor Raad van State, among others. Twelve organisations, including civil rights organisation Privacy First and the Dutch Association of Journalists, plan to go to court to stop the interception law."

Source: https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nederland/politiek/referendum-tegen-aftapwet-haalt-10000-handtekeningen-op, 16 August 2017.

Privacy First wholeheartedly supports this action and calls on everyone to support this referendum. You can sign HERE!

Update 1 September 2017: today, the Electoral Council published that the first hurdle (10,000 signatures for the introductory petition) has been more than met: the Electoral Council has deemed 17,162 signatures valid. If 300,000 valid signatures are received in the next phase, which runs from Monday 4 September to Monday 16 October 2017, an advisory referendum on the Wiv will be held. Click HERE to sign!