MPs from the ruling coalition have backed demands for an inquiry into the involvement of the Dutch security services in the Prism internet tapping scandal.

The investigation will be carried out by the independent security service monitoring commission CTIVD and will also look at the implications of Prism for privacy rules and European legislation.

D66 parliamentarian Gerard Schouw, who drew up the motion, said independent experts are more likely to get to the truth than ministers. ‘I fear the cabinet will hide behind the AIVD and secrecy rules,’ he told Nos radio.

Last week, home affairs minister Ronald Plasterk said the AIVD and MIVD do not use Prism or similar programmes to tap into internet traffic. However, the security services do exchange information with other services and information gleaned through Prism may be part of that, he said.

Earlier stories
Dutch security service has had information via Prism: Telegraaf
No Prism for Dutch security bodies but yes to information swaps
Column: watching the intelligence services