Cyberspionage Now a Criminal Offense in the Netherlands

By Netvora Tech News

The Netherlands has taken a significant step in combating cyber espionage by making it a criminal offense. As of today, computer crimes committed for the purpose of cyber espionage can be punished with a fine that is triple the original amount. This new provision has been added to the Dutch Penal Code. According to the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD), the rise of digital espionage has made it necessary to increase the severity of punishments for computer crimes committed on behalf of a foreign government. "For example, hacking into a computer system to spy on behalf of a foreign government is a serious offense," the AIVD stated. While computer crimes were already punishable, former Justice Minister Yesilgöz argued that the seriousness of cyber espionage was not fully reflected in the punishment. "In several computer crimes, circumstances that aggravate the offense have been included, such as the intent to commit a wrongful act to benefit oneself or others. However, the circumstance that the offense was committed on behalf of a foreign power has not been considered an aggravating circumstance until now." The maximum fine for computer crimes that can play a significant role in espionage, such as breaking into systems and stealing non-public data, has been tripled if committed on behalf of a foreign government. Any individual who leaks sensitive information that is not classified, or who takes other actions on behalf of a foreign government, can be punished if it can cause significant harm to Dutch interests.

Cyber espionage is now a criminal offense in the Netherlands.
Computer crimes committed for the purpose of cyber espionage can be punished with a fine that is triple the original amount.
The Dutch Penal Code has been updated to include a new provision for cyber espionage.
The maximum fine for computer crimes that can play a significant role in espionage has been tripled if committed on behalf of a foreign government.