Author: Joop Beris

  • Another letter from Ivo

    Another letter from Ivo

    Dutch minister of Justice Ivo Opstelten is certainly being a busy boy. Just a few days have passed since his last letter and now he has written another one, equally worrying or perhaps more so. In short, he is suggesting in an as yet not public letter that the Dutch police should have the right…

  • #OpDutchPirateBay – Anonymous threatens to attack The Netherlands

    #OpDutchPirateBay – Anonymous threatens to attack The Netherlands

    On October 6, the Anonymous movement announced an attack on The Netherlands, in retaliation for several Dutch providers blocking access to The Pirate Bay, a well known torrent site. The group spoke (anonymously of course) of being displeased by this blockade.

  • All your data are belong to us

    All your data are belong to us

    Organisations that are considering a move to the cloud would be wise to consider the effects of that move on the privacy and confidentiality of their data. That is the conclusion of a new report published by the University of Amsterdam. The university of Amsterdam examined the risks of such a move for educational institutions…

  • “Hand over those decryption keys…or else”

    “Hand over those decryption keys…or else”

    Another day, another worrying proposal from the Dutch government. As we await the formation of a new cabinet, Dutch minister of Security and Justice, Ivo Opstelten is seeking to change Dutch law to make it mandatory for suspects of certain crimes to hand over their decryption keys so that law enforcement officers can have access…

  • The Clean IT project, another threat to our privacy and online rights?

    The Clean IT project, another threat to our privacy and online rights?

    In an attempt to reduce the impact of the terrorist use of the Internet, the European Commission is funding the Clean IT project. The aim of this project is to examine the question “if we can reduce the impact of the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes, without affecting our online freedom”. However, a…

  • The power of instruction

    The power of instruction

    The power of instruction is seldom of much efficacy except in those happy dispositions where it is almost superfluous. — Gibbon