The Dutch government has announced plans to give police power to hack in the fight against cybercrime.
The BBC reports under the new bill, investigators would be able to hack into computers, install spyware, read emails and destroy files.
The bill would also make it a crime for a suspect to refuse to decode coded files during an investigation, though use of the power would be subject to a court order.
The draft legislation is expected to be tabled in parliament by the end of the year.
Critics have condemned the bill, saying it is unnecessary and could be misused by oppressive governments.
Simone Halink of digital rights group Bits of Freedom told the BBC the law would set a bad precedent and had been “rushed”.
“What you see is that the police have especially a shortage of knowledge and manpower – not of powers,” she said.
HumanIPO reported last month on the arrest of a Dutch man suspected of instigating the largest cyber attacks since the creation of the internet, after he bombarded the websites of anti-junk mail firm Spamhaus.
