Internet Freedom: Verweghistan

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Internet Freedom: Verweghistan

Verweghistan – A fictional country derived from the Dutch words “Ver Weg”, which means “Far Away”.

Consider the following statements by MinBuZa, The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“In the Netherlands, internet freedom is also a priority in human rights foreign policy.
The Netherlands supports projects aimed at strengthening media diversity and promoting human rights from the Human Rights Fund. A significant part of the total budget is allocated for projects related to internet freedom.15 Initiatives in this area are aimed at: 1) training in online journalism, 2) creating awareness of secure online behaviour, 3) use of circumvention tools and 4) offering strategic hosting support. By using this approach the Dutch government has for instance supported media diversity in Iran, trained online journalists in Afghanistan to make them aware of online security, and made direct investments in projects that offer proxy servers to online activists.”

“To limit the power of the Internet in supporting these key rights, authoritarian regimes have turned to censorship and use blocking and filtering techniques to stem the free flow of information.”
“Protecting and Supporting Cyber Activists Online“

Then consider the following internal news from the Netherlands, Ministry of Justice and the Public Prosecutors Office.

“Inventarisatie van nieuwe strafrechtelijke opsporingsbevoegdheden op het internet:
Het op afstand doorzoeken van gegevens die vanuit een computer toegankelijk zijn, ongeacht de locatie waarop die gegevens zijn opgeslagen en met inachtneming van de afspraken en regels over de internationale rechtshulp;
Het op afstand ontoegankelijk maken van gegevens die vanuit een computer toegankelijk zijn, ongeacht de locatie van het geautomatiseerde werk waarop die gegevens zijn opgeslagen en met inachtneming van de afspraken en regels over de internationale rechtshulp.
Het op afstand binnendringen van computers en het plaatsen van technische hulpmiddelen (waaronder software) ten behoeve van de opsporing van ernstige vormen van criminaliteit;
De strafbaarstelling van het helen van (digitale) gegevens.”
“Opstelten wil opsporing op internet versterken“

The new law proposal and judicial rights translated into English would say;

The ability to remotely search through data that are accessible on computers, regardless of the computers’ location or where the data is stored, keeping in mind the protocols of other international legal agencies.

The ability to disable data that is accessible on computers, regardless of the computers’ location or where the data is stored, keeping in mind the protocols of other international legal agencies.

Locating and breaking into remote computers and the placing of technical aids (which could be software), to enable the tracing and logging of ‘serious forms of cyber-crime’.

Obtaining and providing (digital) documents an illegal act.

And there is a Dutch company that is already waiting for the law.

“Now, exactly two years later, the currently demissionary minister has announced in a letter to the Lower House that cyberlegislation is on its way. At Fox-IT we are anticipating this new law with interest. Because although we often know where to find the foreign servers used in cyberattacks, we can do nothing without a legal basis.”
“Are we allowed to fight back?”

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