US Privacy Watchdog Warns Government Against Altering Archive Law

By Netvora Tech News

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The US privacy watchdog, the Authority for Personal Data (AP), has warned the government against plans to modify the Archive Law. The proposed change effectively lifts the legal protection for personal data of living individuals in many sensitive archives, the AP said. The move is prompted by the Central Archive of Extraordinary Justice (CABR), which contains files of individuals investigated for collaboration with the occupying forces during World War II. Education, Culture, and Science Minister Eppo Bruins decided to delay the plan to make the archive fully online and searchable last year due to sharp criticism from the AP. The AP has criticized the proposed changes, stating that they go too far in several respects. For instance, the plan would effectively end the legal protection for sensitive personal data in archives. Furthermore, it would grant archive institutions too much freedom to post highly personal information about living individuals online, making it searchable and shareable by everyone. The AP concludes that the proposal does not meet its standards and that such decisions should be made by democratically elected lawmakers, who should establish clear guidelines. The watchdog also demands concrete safeguards to protect online archive data in the future, such as omitting personal data that falls outside a search query, prohibiting copying, or limiting the number of archive documents that can be accessed daily. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLI) has also expressed concerns and advises establishing a digital study room. The proposal is now being reviewed by the Council of State.