Search results : 495

On 11 March 2025, a notable bill was published, which would amend the Dutch Criminal Code, and criminalise the publication of images, videos or livestreams, of certain victims of accidents or crimes. The Explanatory Memorandum to the bill notes that such images of victims are often made public and distributed via social media, and that making public such images is a “serious and punishable violation of privacy”. Notably, the offence would carry a possible one-year prison sentence or fine. Under the bill, a new Article 139h of the Criminal Code would be introduced, which would make...

On 20 January 2025, the Dutch Media Authority (Commissariaat voor de Media) announced that, following an investigation, a major Dutch broadcast provider would be making broadcasts of certain sports competitions more easily accessible to the general public, without the creation of specific accounts or the sharing of personal data. The investigation followed VodafoneZiggo acquiring the broadcasting rights to the Champions League and Europa League, which are part of the so-called “events list” under the Dutch Media Act (Mediawet). Events on the events list are of general social interest...

On 31 December 2024, the District Court of Central Netherlands ruled that the Dutch public broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) did not act unlawfully by reporting on the treatment of Polish migrant workers by the employment agency IFC Work. The court determined, in particular, that NOS did not overstep the boundaries of media freedom as it fully abided by journalistic standards. The ruling became publicly available on 4 February 2025. The case revolved around a programme titled "Poolse Europarlementariër waarschuwt Polen voor werken in Nederland" (Polish MEP warns...

On 4 February 2025, Uitvoeringswet digitaledienstenverordening – the Dutch act implementing the Digital Services Act (DSA) – entered into force. Under this legislation, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (Autoriteit Consument & Markt – ACM) was officially designated as the Digital Services Coordinator (DSC) – a national supervisory authority responsible for the effective and consistent supervision and enforcement of the DSA. The ACM will exercise a wide range of investigative and enforcement powers in the Netherlands as well as participating in...

On 30 October 2024, researchers from Leiden University published a report entitled "Chinese Influence and Interference in the Dutch Media Landscape". The report was completed at the request of the Tweede Kamer (the lower chamber of the Dutch Parliament) in April 2023 on behalf of the China Knowledge Network (CKN), funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The motion was filed by Ruben Brekelmans, who currently serves as the Dutch Minister of Defence, after Marije Vlaskamp, a journalist at the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant, reported threats in connection with her critical stance on...