Judge: AIVD wrongly labeled IT professional as dangerous to the state

The court in The Hague has revoked the entry ban of an IT professional who was wrongly classified by the AIVD as a threat to the state. Based on that indication, the State Secretary for Justice and Security imposed a twenty-year entry ban.

At the beginning of February, the court ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, according to the ruling published on Thursday. According to the AIVD, the claimant is said to have been involved in a 'state hacker group that carries out espionage campaigns against countries and intergovernmental organizations'. The IT professional is said to have developed malware for that group. That is why the AIVD believed that he was a danger to the national security of the Netherlands.

Based on this message, the State Secretary imposed an entry ban on the man for twenty years and revoked the residence permits of his partner and their minor son. in. These residence permits depended on the IT professional's residence status and could therefore be revoked.

In 2022, the IT professional and his family appealed against the decisions. He felt that the imposition of the entry ban was insufficiently substantiated. In addition, he did not know that the activities he carried out and the software he created were used by the hacker group. The judge agreed and ruled that the official message 'raises too many questions'. For example, it was not described what kind of espionage activities it involved, what kind of malware it involved and to what extent the suspect was aware of the use of his work by the group.

It is not yet known whether the State Secretary will appeal against the ruling.