AIVD and MIVD publish tapping statistics from 2002
The AIVD and its military counterpart MIVD released the figures on Wednesday of the number of taps carried out per year since 2002. It can be concluded from this that the numbers are increasing for the AIVD, with a total of 3205 taps in 2017.
In a letter to parliament, the Ministers of the Interior and Defense, Kajsa Ollongren and Ank Bijleveld-Schouten respectively, announced that the statistics have now been published. The AIVD does this on its own site, while the MIVD does this via the Ministry of Defence. The AIVD’s statistics show that with 3205 taps in 2015, the service tapped about 150 percent more than ten years before. The ministers stated: “The attached numbers should also be seen in the light of the increased threat from counter-terrorism, cyber and the unstable geopolitical situation at Europe’s external borders.”
It can be seen for the MIVD that a total of 348 taps were carried out in 2017 compared to 382 in the previous year and 30 in 2007. The military intelligence service saw less steady growth than the AIVD, the biggest difference being between 2015 and 2016 with 244 The ministers say about the MIVD statistics for 2002 and 2003: “Unlike the AIVD, the MIVD did not immediately use the power to intercept in the years following the entry into force of the ISS Act 2002. The need to use this power has gradually increased. .” The services together accounted for a total of 3,553 taps last year.
The ministers write in their letter that the statistics say nothing about the number of targets, because different taps can be used per person, for example because they have different devices. The statistics concern the use of special powers under the old Wiv of 2002, including placing a telephone or internet tap, or the use of a microphone.
These statistics are made public for the first time, following a government decision in January. This followed a ruling by the Council of State in a case brought by the civil rights organization Bits of Freedom. The Council ruled that the minister had to give a new motivation for refusing to publish tapping statistics. Publication has been denied in the past, as it would pose a risk to national security. Earlier, Bits of Freedom published the tap statistics from 1984 to 2001, which the organization obtained through a Wob request.