Collection and mass storage of data through automatic number plate recognition
Privacy First are challenging the Dutch Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Act, which was adopted in November 2017 and entered into force in January 2019. The Act enables the Dutch police to automatically collect and store the license plate data of all vehicles in the Netherlands – including ‘no-hits’, i.e. individuals not suspected of any crime – for four weeks for criminal investigation and intelligence purposes.
Among other issues, Privacy First argue that the ANPR Act allows for undifferentiated collection and mass storage of data that lacks necessity and proportionality.
Summary proceedings concluded at the end of 2021. These proceedings focussed on unsupervised mass collection, storage and use of ‘no-hits’ under the ANPR Act. However, the courts ruled against Privacy First due to there being “no sufficiently urgent interest.” Privacy First will continue the case to civil proceedings on the merits at the Hague District Court.
Collection and mass storage of data through automatic number plate recognition
Organisation Name
Privacy First
Country/Jurisdiction
The Netherlands
Thematic Area
Privacy and data protection
Current Status
Ongoing
Grant type
Litigation Track Support
Description
Privacy First are challenging the Dutch Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) Act, which was adopted in November 2017 and entered into force in January 2019. The Act enables the Dutch police to automatically collect and store the license plate data of all vehicles in the Netherlands – including ‘no-hits’, i.e. individuals not suspected of any crime – for four weeks for criminal investigation and intelligence purposes.
Among other issues, Privacy First argue that the ANPR Act allows for undifferentiated collection and mass storage of data that lacks necessity and proportionality.
Summary proceedings concluded at the end of 2021. These proceedings focussed on unsupervised mass collection, storage and use of ‘no-hits’ under the ANPR Act. However, the courts ruled against Privacy First due to there being “no sufficiently urgent interest.” Privacy First will continue the case to civil proceedings on the merits at the Hague District Court.
"The Act enables the Dutch police to automatically collect and store the license plate data of all vehicles in the Netherlands – including ‘no-hits’, i.e. individuals not suspected of any crime"
Strategic Goal
In addition to having the ANPR Act declared inoperative in the Netherlands, and thus creating a positive European precedent, Privacy First hopes to set a new privacy standard in the field of ANPR and location data on the European level.
Organisation Name
Women’s Link Worldwide
Image credit: Denny Müller on Unsplash