Privacy and cookie statement of the Municipality of Opsterland

How do we process personal data?

The processing of personal data follows legal rules. In addition, we follow 5 important rules when processing personal data:

1. we process personal data with care;
2. we use personal data only for lawful purposes;
3. we do not process more personal data than necessary;
4. we do not retain personal data longer than necessary;
5. we secure personal data properly.

Why and what do we process personal data for?

As a resident, you come into contact with the municipality in a variety of ways. For example, when applying for a passport, a permit or registering a marriage. In order to perform our municipal duties properly, we process personal data.

Below is a list of municipal tasks for which we process personal data:

• civil affairs and Basic Registration of Persons;

  for example: issuance of identity cards, passports and driver's licenses.

• participation law;

  For example: processing applications for welfare benefits.

• youth care;

  For example: handling applications for youth care.

• social support;

  For example: handling applications for Health and support.

• education and compulsory education;

  for example: counseling young people of compulsory school age and combating school absenteeism.

• public order and security;

  for example: maintenance of public order and safety.

• spatial planning, construction and environment;

  For example: handling permit applications for building and remodeling.

• traffic and transportation;

  For example: granting parking permits.

• sports, culture and recreation;

  For example: providing subsidies to sports clubs and cultural institutions.

• customer service and communication;

  For example: handling reports and complaints from residents.

• taxes and fees.

  for example: levying and collecting municipal taxes.

On what legal ground do we process personal data?

According to the AVG, we may only process personal data if there is a valid reason to do so. The law lists 6 valid reasons. We process personal data:

1. by consent;
2. for performing a contract;
3. for implementing the law;
4. For protecting someone's health or safety (in an emergency);
5. for performing tasks of general interest (municipal duties);
6. to carry out legitimate interests of the municipality or another party.

We only process personal data if there is a legal reason for doing so.

Purpose limitation & minimum data processing

We only process personal data necessary for legal and predetermined purposes. We continuously assess whether processing personal data is really necessary. If it can be done without, we do not process personal data.

Special personal data

Some personal data is extra sensitive, such as data about health or ethnic origin. We process these data only if required by law, for example, under the Youth Act or the Social Support Act 2015.

Police data

For certain tasks, such as enforcement and security, we also process police data. Examples include: 

• Maintaining a safe public environment;
• supporting the police in the prevention and detection of punishable offenses.  

We only process police data if the law permits it, for example, under the Municipalities Act.

How long do we keep personal data?

We retain personal data as long as necessary for our municipal duties and legal obligations. To determine appropriate retention periods, we use the Archives Act. This law regulates how long municipal information may be retained.

How long the municipality keeps personal data depends on the type of personal data and the situation in which the personal data was processed.

How do we protect personal data?

We take measures to protect personal data from misuse, loss and unauthorized access. Our security is based on the Government Information Security Baseline (BIO).

We treat personal data confidentially. This means that only authorized persons may process personal data. It also means that personal data are processed only for the purpose for which they were collected.

Sharing personal data with others

We share personal data with other organizations only as necessary to carry out our municipal functions. 

Before sharing data, we verify that the other party is processing personal data securely. This may involve conducting a comprehensive privacy risk assessment (DPIA). If necessary, we make agreements with the other party to ensure that the personal data are processed securely. We record these agreements in an agreement.

Your rights

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) gives you, as an individual, several rights over the data that organizations process about you. These rights allow you to have more control over how your personal data is used.

If the municipality processes personal data about you, you are considered a data subject. As a data subject, you can exercise your rights obtained under the legal text of the AVG. 

Below we explain what rights you have and how to exercise them.

Right of access:

The right to receive a copy of the personal data the municipality processes about you. This way you can check which personal data we process and whether it is correct.

Right to rectification and supplementation:

If your personal data is incorrect or incomplete, you can ask us to correct or supplement it.

Right to data erasure/deletion (oblivion):

You can ask us to delete your personal data if:

• we no longer need your information;

• there is no longer a legal reason to keep the data.

Note: The municipality must adhere to retention periods under the law. We cannot always delete your personal data immediately.

Right to restriction of processing:

In some cases, you can ask us to temporarily stop processing your data. This can be done, for example, if you think your data is incorrect and this should be investigated first.

Right to data portability (data portability):

You can ask to receive your personal data in a digital file so that you can pass it on to another organization. This right applies only if:

• You have consented to the processing; or

• the processing was necessary for the performance of a contract.

Note: This right does not apply if we process your personal data because of a legal obligation or a public interest task.

Right to object:

You can object to the processing of your data if the municipality does so on the basis of:

• A task of public interest; or

• reasonable cause on the part of the municipality.

In some cases, we may still continue processing, for example, if there is a strong legal reason for doing so.

More information on data subjects' rights can be found on the website of the Personal Data Authority: Data subjects' rights | Authority Personal Data.

Directly arrange

You have a number of rights when we use your personal data. This is stated in the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG). We call these "privacy rights. These rights are designed to give you control over your personal data. You may make a request under the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG) or the Police Data Act (Wpg). To do so, complete the form 'Request data subject rights'. In the form, choose which request you want to make.

Request rights data subject

Cookies

We use cookies to make our website work properly. These are small text files that are stored on your computer. There are three types of cookies:

1. Functional cookies - ensure that the website works properly.
2. Analytical cookies - help us to improve the website.
3. Tracking cookies - track your browsing habits on the Internet.

We only use analytical cookies and do not process personal data in the process. Therefore, we do not need to ask for permission.

Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these parties.

Contact

Do you have a question?

Do you have questions about how we handle your personal data? If so, please contact our Data Protection Officer at:
privacy@opsterland.nl

Do you have a complaint?

Do you have a complaint about how we process your data? You can file a complaint with us at: 

privacy@opsterland.nl

You can also file your complaint with the Personal Data Authority. You can do this through that following link: 

Personal Data Authority

This privacy statement is subject to change. This is because laws and regulations regarding privacy and information security are always changing. 

Stay informed by visiting our website regularly.

This version was last modified at Feb. 10, 2025.