Technological developments and well-educated immigrants have made the Netherlands more vulnerable to espionage, according to the Dutch secret service AIVD.

In a vulnerability analysis to be presented to parliament, the AIVD says it is aware that the Netherlands has been subject to espionage in the past. “Scientific institutions, governments and companies are not always aware of the value of their information,” the service explains on their website, “and most information can be accessed quite easily.”

The organisation also points out that some recent developments have caused additional security lapses. A policy to attract well-educated foreigners to the Netherlands means foreign intelligence officers posing as immigrants can get hold of valuable information. Outsourcing system and server management to other countries have also provided foreign intelligence services with easy access to valuable data.

The vulnerability analysis includes an inventory of valuable knowledge in the Netherlands and reveals several strategies foreign intelligence services employ to obtain information. The Dutch Secret Service do not seem too concerned about protecting this information: the entire security analysis can be found on the service’s website.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide