Delft University of Technology shared the names of climate activists with the police, university magazine Delta reported last February. The collaboration between the university and the police had been laid down in a special agreement.

TU Delft has seen protests at times against collaboration with the fossil fuel industry. In the run-up to one of those protests, the police received from the university the names of possible demonstrators: four students and one staff member.

The news prompted criticism from human rights organization Amnesty International, and the Dutch Data Protection Authority also demanded clarification, given the “serious infringement” of these activists’ fundamental rights. The university administration itself was also troubled by the situation and issued an apology.

Usefulness and necessity

The agreement has now been terminated, Delta reports. “Together with the police, we reviewed the usefulness and necessity of the agreement,” President of the Executive Board Ingrid Thijssen told the staff and student councils. “We decided to discontinue it.”

From now on, names will only be shared when there is truly no alternative, for example in a criminal investigation or in acute, life-threatening situations. But such cases do not require a formal agreement.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.