AP handled fewer privacy complaints by being less accessible by phone – IT Pro – News

The Dutch Information Safety Authority acquired far fewer privateness complaints final yr than the yr earlier than, largely as a result of the regulator was intentionally much less accessible. The AP decreased the variety of hours that might be reached by phone because of understaffing.

In 2022, the Dutch privateness regulator acquired 13,113 complaints, the AP writes in its annual report. That’s a lot lower than the yr earlier than. In 2021, 18,140 complaints had been acquired. The variety of knowledge breach studies additionally fell sharply. That fell from 24,866 in 2021 to 21,151 in 2022. This additionally decreased the backlog with the privateness regulator. Final yr, the AP wrote in its annual report that there greater than 10,000 citizen complaints had been shelved. The AP is obliged to deal with each grievance or report, however doesn’t get round to doing so. In 2022, the AP managed to scale back that backlog significantly. On the finish of the yr there have been nonetheless 5723 complaints that had not been handled.

This decline in studies is because of the extra restricted accessibility of the supervisor. The AP decreased phone accessibility. In consequence, fewer residents had been in a position to cross on their complaints. The AP attributes this to ‘restricted capability’.

The AP has been complaining for years that it doesn’t obtain sufficient finances. The regulator desires 100 million euros a yr, a quadrupling the present annual finances. Within the 2021 coalition settlement eight million euros per yr in additional finances was promisedhowever solely from 2025.

The AP can also be neglecting issues in lots of different areas, though it’s obliged to deal with them. There are nonetheless 203 license purposes to be processed, 32 legislations to be assessed and 181 worldwide transfers to be authorized.

The Dutch Information Safety Authority says that in 2022 there was ‘a number of instances’ dialogue that revolved across the distinction between freedom and safety. In line with the AP, the federal government has created such a contradiction greater than as soon as. “Within the processing of private knowledge, the values ​​of freedom and safety are sometimes an extension of one another, however typically they appear to be diametrically opposed. A great steadiness between these two basic values ​​is essential,” says the AP.

The regulator additionally sees that the Dutch authorities nonetheless takes little account of privateness when drafting legal guidelines. The AP assessed 106 legislative processes and issued a adverse recommendation in 22 instances because of ‘severe objections’. The federal government usually mentions that the GDPR have to be complied with, however gives little substantiation for this. “In consequence, making issues about these ensures is handed on to the executive physique, with out readability concerning the issues made and the implications for residents,” says the regulator.