On June 24, 2026, the Dutch intelligence oversight body CTIVD published Review Report No. 84, finding that the civilian AIVD and military MIVD agencies broke the law in processing "bulk datasets" containing millions of citizens' personal records. In response, digital rights group Bits of Freedom charged that the agencies appear to be training their own AI on citizens' data.
24 June 2026 · CTIVD Oversight Report 84
Dutch Spy Agencies Broke the Law Handling the Data of Millions
Oversight body CTIVD found that the AIVD and MIVD accessed bulk personal datasets without authorization, kept irrelevant data past the legal limit, and even used data leaked by hackers — failing the privacy safeguards the law requires.
Millions
of citizens' personal records held in bulk datasets — most unconnected to spying or terror
13
formal recommendations issued by CTIVD for improvement
18 mo
legal cap on data retention — repeatedly exceeded
Three safeguards the law requires — all found failing
Under the Intelligence and Security Services Act (Wiv 2017)
1
Relevance assessment
Data on people outside an investigation must be deleted promptly — irrelevant data was retained instead.
2
18-month retention cap
Data was kept beyond the legal retention period.
3
Limited access
Access is meant for a small number of authorized staff — numerous staff accessed data without authorization.
A repeat, not a first
This is not the first such finding — critics say the lessons of 2022 have not been learned.
2022
CTIVD found violations; the data of millions of people was deleted.
→
2026
Report 84 finds the same failures again, including use of hacker-leaked datasets.
The positive read
Ministers agreed with the conclusions and made improvement a top priority. Supporters see the case as proof of the value of independent oversight and civil-society scrutiny.
The critical read
Bits of Freedom warns the agencies seek expanded powers while mismanaging existing ones — and cautions against weakening oversight. Its claim that bulk data may train AI is not addressed by the report.
Aug 2026
A public consultation on amending Wiv 2017 opens — whether oversight is strengthened or weakened becomes the key point of contention.
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