On Tuesday 4 March, members of the Dutch House of Representatives voted to pass a number of motions on the digital transformation. The following were passed by a majority or significant majority:
- Motion for an algorithms register
Addressing all members of the current government, member of the House Jesse Six Dijkstra (NSC) appealed to each ministry to submit a letter to the House before summer detailing their plan to register high-impact algorithms alongside plans to register high-risk AI. Zsolt Szabó, State Secretary for Digitalisation and Kingdom Relations, previously announced the ambition to have the algorithms register complete before 2025. However, entries in the register remain scarce. Six Dijkstra requested that the State Secretary provide explicit information on each department’s compliance with legal requirements.
- Motion for transparency on algorithm use
Members of the House Barbara Kathmann (GroenLinks-PvdA) and Jesse Six Dijkstra (NSC) requested that the government follow the advice of the Dutch Data Protection Authority to be transparent about the government’s use of algorithms. This advice states that citizens must always be notified if partially or fully automated risk selection occurs in relation to their personal data and this selection leads to a decision. Communications on this topic must be clear, and citizens must be informed of all possibilities to submit a complaint or objection. The House of Representatives must be notified of the outcome within three months.
The following motion on emerging technologies was passed during the same session in the plenary hall:
- Motion on digital autonomy in the Coordination Decree for the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations
This motion was also submitted by Jesse Six Dijkstra (NSC), who believes that the government should leverage AI and the cloud to achieve a greater degree of digital autonomy in its information systems. According to Dijkstra, this can be achieved only if there is cohesive government policy that is clearly coordinated by a centralised body. To this end, he requested that the government extend the scope of the Coordination Decree for central government organisation, operational management and information systems to give the Ministry the power to:
1. set frameworks to promote the digital autonomy of ministerial information systems;
2. in relation to the above, impose requirements on technology that will be used by all or a specified section of the ministries.
Postponed motions
The relevant members of the House decided to postpone the other two motions on emerging technologies. This often happens if further developments are expected or further information needs to be acquired. These motions will be put to vote again at a later date:
- Motion for local AI models
Jessie Six Dijkstra (NSC) requested that the government introduce a policy that AI models must, as a rule, run on government systems. Dijkstra mentioned data safety as a reason, with a view to minimising the risk of sensitive public information or citizens’ personal data being diverted to AI companies.
- Motion for a request for information to provide a list of the companies affiliated with Elon Musk with which the Dutch government has a business relationship
Harmen Krul (CDA) requested that the government provide the House with a list of the companies affiliated with Elon Musk with which the Dutch government has a business relationship. This was prompted by his concerns that, following Donald Trump’s re-election as US President, the US is ‘showing signs of an emerging tech oligarchy as Big Tech CEOs acquire considerable influence over economic and political affairs, with Elon Musk as their flagbearer.’
Rejected motions
Lastly, the following motions on the use of algorithms and data ethics failed to reach a majority in the House and were therefore rejected:
- Motion to investigate the application of the Non-Discrimination by Design Guidelines by private parties
Member of the House Doğukan Ergin (DENK) had requested that the government investigate to what extent private parties are applying the steps in the Non-Discrimination by Design Guidelines in their development and use of algorithms, and to inform the House of the outcome of this investigation. These Guidelines were written to ensure transparent, non-discriminatory use of algorithms.
- Motion for a list of algorithms
Member of the House Doğukan Ergin (DENK) had requested that the government share a list of ‘all algorithms whose selection process may have consequences for data subjects and does not involve meaningful human intervention’.
Greater digital autonomy for Europe
Over the coming period, Europe will seek to increase its digital autonomy in order to counter its overreliance on US and Chinese-made tech stacks. This was the subject of a recent report by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, which featured a contribution from the Dutch researcher and professor Haroon Sheikh.
As an advocate of digital autonomy, Topsector ICT is working together with its stakeholders to explore how this can be effectively supported by the Knowledge and Innovation Agenda (KIA) Digitalisation and the Action Agendas for AI/Data and Cybersecurity Technologies, the latter of which are currently being developed.