14 DAY TRIAL // While the UK, US, and Chinese governments are busy trying to sabotage core Internet security features, the Dutch government has published a statement coming in support of data encryption and against government-issued backdoors.
Holland is one of the most privacy-friendly countries on the globe, the place where many services that deal with sensitive or controversial issues come to host their websites. They do this because the country's government has never been willing to play slave to various interest groups, and Web hosting companies have always had a solid grasp of modern concepts like user privacy and properly filled-in DMCA takedown notices.
The same principles that made Holland what it is today in terms of Internet rights have been expressed by the country's Minister of Security and Justice, Ard van der Steur.
In a public statement, Mr. van der Steur said that his country opposes the idea of backdoors in encryption technologies, considering strong encryption vital for "the protection of privacy for citizens, companies, the government, and the entire Dutch economy."
The Dutch government’s position on secure Internet communications is not a surprise since Holland is the only country that has ever donated to the OpenSSL project, when government officials approved a €500,000 / $540,000 research grant last month.
However, Holland can take such a stand against encryption backdoors since it has never been a major player either in cyber-espionage or in military realms, where countries like the US, China, Russia, France, Germany, Australia, and the UK would gladly welcome the downfall of encrypted communication channels.