If the list of names has been published on the site oorlogvoorderechter.nl.the files linked to these names are ultimately not accessible on the web. To access it, Dutch people must go to the National Archives Center. This decision was taken at the last moment by the data protection authority in the Netherlands, out of respect for privacy.
Many people have already gone to the site to obtain more information on the names indicated on this list. To have access, they must have a reason, such as a historical, family, or even professional interest. On January 2, the site saw an increase in traffic: “Since this morning we have had a long queue of people wanting to access the reservation module“.
The media NOS reports testimonies from people who had access to it, in particular that of Rinke Smedinga whose father, Piet Smedinga, was head of the Westerbork camp guard during the Second World War. He explains to the Dutch media: “I would like to know what happened. My father stayed silent and lied about things. His story also influenced my life when I was young. And I have my father’s genes, so I looks like my father. Are there any similarities? I find what my father did very difficult. It’s of course not right, but I feel that way. , I can do something positive with his ugly story.”
Some Dutch historians point out that these documents may contain errors, even going so far as to describe their publication as “dangerous”: “In the archives of collaboration there are also errors. There is often no tangible proof of betrayal,” explique Ewoud Kieft.
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And in Belgium?
Our colleagues from RTBF wondered about the possible publication of such lists in Belgium. They remind us that we must have authorization from the College of Attorneys General to be able to consult the criminal files of collaborators. Very few people ultimately have access to it. However, the College of Attorneys General has announced that it would like to transfer authority over the collaboration’s old files to the State Archives. Current federal negotiations have now blocked this project.
Belgian historians do not seem to be in favor of simply publishing the names of people who collaborated during the Second World War, mentioning a delicate subject which risks leading to a “witch hunt”. If the notion of privacy ends with the death of a person, the General Data Protection Regulation can apply to deceased people if the information about them also concerns people still living.
