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Belgian privacy regulator to investigate police screening of Tomorrowland ticket buyers
By Chris Cooke | Published on Friday 14 July 2017
The Belgian Privacy Commission is investigating the way the Tomorrowland festival shares ticket buyer data with local law enforcement to screen attendees for security reasons.
According to newspaper De Standaard, 38 ticket-buyers have been excluded from the Belgian festival this year – which takes place in the town of Boom and kicks off next week – on security grounds. Tomorrowland organisers say that they have shared ticket-holder information with federal police for a number of years, and this is seemingly the first time the country’s Privacy Commission has taken an interest. That interest is apparently being taken now because some of those denied access to this year’s festival have complained to the privacy law regulator.
It is the police rather than the festival who are being investigated over allegations privacy rules may have been violated via the screening process. Though a federal police spokesperson insists that the screening programme is approved by local government officials, who, he says, have the power to approve such practices.
It remains to be seen how the Commission responds.
