Home » News » SyRI anti-fraud system has to be taken off the table, government is infringing on private life

SyRI anti-fraud system has to be taken off the table, government is infringing on private life

Current legislation on the controversial System Risk Indication (SyRI) program must be dismissed. This is not verifiable and does not sufficiently respect the private life of the citizens involved, says The Hague District Court.

The Work and Income Implementation Organization Act (SUWI), which regulates the deployment of SyRI, is contrary to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

SyRI links all kinds of data together and in doing so tries to prevent and combat fraud, for example with childcare allowance. That is in the interest of economic well-being, the judge says, because fraud affects solidarity and public support for the system.

But, according to the judge, there is no question of a “fair balance” between the social interest and the violation of private life, as required by the European Court of Human Rights.

Discrimination and stigmatization

The legislation is insufficiently clear and verifiable. How data is processed and analyzed is not transparent, the court says. This is important because otherwise “unintentionally discriminatory and / or stigmatizing effects occur”.

The court believes that the state should exploit new technological options to prevent and combat fraud, but must find the right balance between the benefits and the right to respect for private life.

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