The data of contacts of the entire staff of the Dutch police were stolen in a cyberattack, Dutch officials announced yesterday, quoted by DPA and BTA.
According to the investigation carried out by the secret services and security services, it is “highly likely“ a foreign country was behind the hacking attack in which the data of all 65,000 Dutch police officers was stolen, Justice Minister David van Weel told parliament.
Last week it emerged that hackers had gained access to the contact details of all police officers by breaking into a police computer. The data included names, email addresses, phone numbers and, in some cases, personal information.
For years, the Netherlands' intelligence and security services have warned of an increase in cyber attacks by countries such as China, Russia and Iran.
Meanwhile, a Dutch court fined a man for harassing and intimidating a woman on a street in Rotterdam in the first practical application of a new law that came into force in July, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The law, which aims to tackle sexual harassment in public places, includes penalties for unwanted touching and inappropriate comments or gestures.
The thirty-three-year-old man was fined 100 euros. He must pay a further €180 if he reoffends, based on evidence provided by a specialist undercover team.
Under the pilot project aimed at catching lawbreakers in action, such teams are deployed on the streets of Rotterdam, Utrecht and Arnhem.
The court was told that the undercover team saw the man calling out to the woman, walking up to her, putting his hands on her hips and grabbing her.
„Sexual harassment on the streets makes people feel insecure and restricts them from being themselves in society”, the court said.
The court ruling states that the use of undercover surveillance in this case was justified.
The law defines intimidation as “intrusive sexual assault by means of remarks, gestures, sounds or touch in a manner that may be perceived as terrifying, humiliating, insulting or offensive”.
The text states that such behavior is illegal both online and physically in public places.