Telegraph, 29 April 2015: 'Privacy watchdog defies route control; what happens to our data?'

"If the route control footage is also used for purposes other than speed control, then we motorists will be forced to take shortcuts. It must not be allowed to get to that point with Big Brother in our country, which is why the court must determine whether this system does not violate the privacy of innocent road users. So says Bas Filippini, chairman of the Privacy First foundation. Yesterday, a case on a traffic fine following a section control was heard in Utrecht. The case involved a violation that the foreman of the privacy watchdog himself committed on purpose to provoke a court ruling on how this section control system violates motorists' privacy.

A network of 150 to 200 route control cameras in the Netherlands also records license plates of motorists who are not speeding. The images are also stored for 72 hours without any legal basis. They are also used for purposes other than speed checks, Filippini says.

This violates both the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights, which protect our privacy rights. By violating these rules, the government can trace the movements of any innocent citizen in our eyes. Whereas the government should be there to protect our privacy.

The prosecution argues that it is allowed to take camera images and keep them for a short period of time to properly carry out the task of detecting speeding offenders. Especially since the privacy violation is limited, according to the prosecution.

The subdistrict court will rule on 12 May."

Source: Telegraph 29 April 2015, p. 13.