- cross-posted to:
- privacy@programming.dev
- cross-posted to:
- privacy@programming.dev
A month or so ago, the Netherlands reportedly blocked a US company from buying the cloud provider that runs Dutch digital identity (there is a post about it in this community here).
The more recent news is that the Chief Privacy Officer of the Dutch government, who was behind this initiative, is about to lose his job.
…
For more than four months, Pieter van Oordt warned internally about the risks of the takeover. When these warnings were ignored, he brought the issue to the media, the Dutch Parliament, and the Cabinet. He showed that Parliament had received incomplete and misleading information and revealed that vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure had been shared with a U.S. company. His actions forced the Ministry of Economic Affairs to block the takeover.
Instead of protection, Van Oordt faced retaliation. He was excluded from meetings, his salary increase was blocked, and his request for protection under the European Whistleblower Directive was rejected, despite an expert report confirming that he should have been protected. He has been suspended, and his dismissal is mentioned in a written notice from the Attorney General on 22 May 2026.
The dismissal has not yet been implemented.
…
Someone started a petition (not me), I post this here as you may want to sign it (and maybe spread the word).
The petition calls on the European Parliament and the European Commission to act:
- Protect Pieter van Oordt from an unlawful dismissal.
- Ensure he can continue his work safely within the public sector.
- Place digital sovereignty of vital infrastructure high on the European agenda.
- Hold the Dutch government and the responsible ministries accountable.
[To read the English version of the linked text, you need to scroll down. It’s below the Dutch version.]
Schoof’s cabinet knew the risks and didn’t act. And Schoof himself was Director-General of AIVD (the national intelligence service) before becoming PM — so of all recent PMs, he’s the one who should’ve read this file correctly. He didn’t.
The Tweede Kamer (parliament) actually passed a motion against the contract extension. The cabinet overrode it. Then Jetten’s cabinet did the same thing again in May 2026.
It took one person with the right knowledge in the right seat to stop it — Staatssecretaris Aerdts, who literally has a PhD on oversight of the Dutch intelligence services.
But here’s the part that should make you angry: Van Oordt flagged this exact risk first. He got fired for it. The analysis that cost him his job is the same analysis Aerdts used to block the acquisition. He was just right too early, and from the wrong chair.
And he’s still being punished. Still in legal proceedings, still without the apology or reinstatement he’s owed.
So apparently the Dutch government’s policy is: do your job right as a CPO, get fired and dragged through court for it — and wait for someone with a minister’s title to be proven right on your behalf.