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Dutch Hotels Must Register As ISPs

Posted by timothy on from the please-report-to-your-cubbyhole dept.

hankwang writes "The Dutch telecommunications authority OPTA has announced that Dutch hotels must register as internet providers (original version, in Dutch) because that is what they formally are, according to Dutch laws. It is well possible that once hotels are officially internet providers, they will also have to abide by the European regulations on data retention and make efforts to link email headers and other data traffic to individual hotel guests. Could this also happen in other European countries? This is probably not likely to lead to a more widespread adoption of free WiFi services in hotels."

3 of 152 comments (clear)

  1. Not fully correct by santax · · Score: 4, Informative

    The OPTA has said that they are not sure yet if the hotels are ISP's. They are still investigating this and I think that is the reason they have send some letters out. In order to get a trial so it will become clear what an ISP is. In the Netherlands everyone who offers public access to internet or other telecomservices has to deal with the OPTA. It's also the organisation that puts fines on spamming etc. Our telecom watchhound in short.

    1. Re:Not fully correct by YeeHaW_Jelte · · Score: 4, Informative

      Parent is correct, article summary is very imprecise ... slow news day?

      Someone, not mentioned explicitely in the article, complained to the OPTA, saying that hotels should be considered ISPs. OPTA considered the wording of the laws they are enforcing and said ' yeah, they might be right ' and has now summoned a few hotels to register as ISP's, to see where this leads.

      Obviously, the law is poorly worded and this is a side effect nobody foresaw or intended. This will be probably be fixed, if even necessary.

      Please stop with all the efforts to make every little hickup in the law system armaggedon for freedom, please. It's cheap and sensationalist.

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  2. Timothy this title is misleading. by Barryke · · Score: 3, Informative

    hankwang and timothy! Article title is misleading.

    "Dutch Hotels Must Register As ISPs" is wrong (they do not) and should read "Dutch OPTA sues Hotels for being an ISP".
    It is the OPTA that is test-trialing 10 large hotels to find out (by ruling) whether they are (or not are) ISP's.

    "OPTA checks whether market parties comply with the law in order to protect consumers." - http://www.opta.nl/en/about-opta/

    In what way exactly this move protects consumers i am not sure, but i reckon the OPTA wants to break down some vague holes in the law behind some ISP's might hide themselves.

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