Tens thousands of collective request of personal data from tech companies

About 65,000 people asked three major tech companies on Thursday what data they have collected about them. The tens of thousands of people are being guided by the Foundation for Market Information Research (SOMI), which says it is the largest collective application for personal data in Europe.

This article was published on 29th July 2020 on Nu.nl in the Netherlands. Please find the English translation below.

The applications are submitted to the popular video app TikTok, the online meeting service Zoom and data collector Palantir. The latter company processes large amounts of data with the help of complex software to track down terrorists and criminals, for example. The software is used by security and police forces worldwide.

It is not known how many Dutch people there are among the group. The collective application is open to anyone from the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

SOMI wants to know what data the companies collect, how it is stored and with whom the information is shared. This should make it clear whether the companies are violating European privacy rules. The companies have one month to respond.

SOMI announced in early June that it is filing a compensation claim against TikTok on behalf of tens of thousands of parents. The foundation from Badhoevedorp demands an amount that could rise to 1.4 billion euros. The parents feel that the app does not properly protect the safety and privacy of their children. That case is separate from the request for personal data from TikTok, Zoom and Palantir, the foundation says.