Privacy

This page tells you how the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs uses personal information it obtains via the internet. Rights relating to the use of personal information are derived from the Personal Data Protection Act.

What happens to my personal information?
Where you are requested to submit personal information, it states clearly the precise data required and how it will be used. Your personal information will only be used for the stated purpose. Data may be used, however, to trace individuals who commit offences via the website or make utterances in breach of the criminal law (and in other cases mentioned in section 43 of the Personal Data Protection Act). Personal information will not be kept for any longer than is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

Only personal information submitted by you is processed. Although information profiles are kept, this is only to make the site more user friendly, and you are informed about this beforehand. If you want to object to our processing your personal information, you can do so via the reply form.

What does the Act say about processing personal information?
The Personal Data Protection Act will be strictly followed in processing personal information on our website. The Act helps to protect individual privacy, and also applies to data collected on the websites of ministries. This means that any personal information that is collected, stored, used or made available, linked and protected in any other form falls under this Act. In accordance with the Act, persons must be informed before their personal information is processed, and the purpose for which that data is collected must be given (section 33). Personal information is therefore only processed once the owner has been explicitly informed and the reason for storing the data has been given.

What is personal information?
Personal information is defined as any information relating to an ‘identified or identifiable natural person’. This means that a person’s name or identity is is revealed in the personal information. An example of personal information is a name or address, but email addresses are also treated as personal information.