The Dutch police and intelligence services tapped at least 3350 internet
connections in 2009. An increase of 385 percent since 2006.
The number of internet wiretaps by the Dutch government has exploded in
recent years, reveals Dutch ict-newssite Webwereld. There is political uproar
about the explosive growth of these numbers, which up until now have been secret.
Two left-wing political parties demand written explanations of the Ministry of
Justice. They fear huge privacy violations, because the wiretaps often encompass
relations of suspects, who themselves are not suspected of crime and/or terror.
Furthermore, the effectiveness of wiretaps in crime prevention has not been
proven.
