RUNOMI member Frederik Zuiderveen Borgesius, Professor of Digital Security and Jurisprudence at Radboud University, raises serious concerns about the Dutch police’s use of the Preselect Recidive algorithm. This system, which predicts youth reoffending based on police records, often produces inaccurate results and reflects biases in law enforcement. Zuiderveen Borgesius warns:
The instrument only considers recorded crime. But we know that this does not provide a representative picture of actual crime. If the police frequently stop a certain type of boys, it influences the data.
Professor Zuiderveen Borgesius describes the situation as “dubious” and calls the government’s misuse of the algorithm “concerning.” He advocates for specific legislation, stating:
This would at least clearly define the exact purposes for which such a system may be used.
Moreover, Zuiderveen Borgesius emphasizes that the legislative process would also encourage a necessary public debate:
It would involve institutions such as the Council of State and the Data Protection Authority (AP). So far, there has been no real discussion about whether we even find it desirable for the police to use such a method.