For many people it will a nightmare: the holiday that you have worked so hard for the entire year is cancelled due to bankruptcy of the travel provider. Fortunately, the chance of this happening to you has been reduced by the implementation of new legislation. On July 1, 2018, new rules came into effect, as a result of which travelers are more often protected in case their travel provider goes bankrupt. Until these new legislation came into force, only consumers […]

Unfair commercial practices through telephone sales are reported more often. This is the conclusion of the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets, the independent supervisor that stands up for consumers and businesses. People are approached more and more by telephone with so-called offers for discount campaigns, holidays and contests. Very often, these offers are formulated in an unclear manner, so that customers ultimately have to more than they expect. This telephone contact is often followed by aggressive payment collection practices. […]

On July 12, 2017, the Dutch Senate unanimously accorded the proposal of Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Plasterk to, in the near future, better protect the privacy of email and other privacy sensitive telecommunication. Article 13 paragraph 2 of the Dutch Constitution states that secrecy of telephone calls and telegraph communication is inviolable. However, given the recent overwhelming developments in the sector of telecommunication article 13 paragraph 2 needs an update. The proposal for the new text is […]

As of July 1, 2017, it is forbidden in the Netherlands to advertise for electronic cigarettes without nicotine and for herb mixes for water pipes. The new rules apply to everybody. In this way, the Dutch Government continues its policy to protect children under 18. As of July 1, 2017, it is also no longer allowed to win electronic cigarettes as a prize at fairs. The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority has been assigned the task to monitor […]

On June 27, 2017, international companies had IT malfunctioning due to a ransomware attack. In the Netherlands, APM (the largest Rotterdam container transfer company), TNT and pharmaceuticals manufacturer MSD reported failure of their IT system due to the virus called “Petya”. The computer virus began in Ukraine where it affected banks, companies and Ukraine’s electricity network and then spread all over the world. According to the director of the cybersecurity company ESET Dave Maasland, the ransomware used is similar to […]