Yes, web scraping is legal in the Netherlands under strict conditions, primarily governed by the Dutch Copyright Act (Auteurswet) and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Publicly accessible data may be scraped unless protected by copyright or privacy rights, but automated collection must comply with fair use principles and avoid circumventing technical protections. The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, AP) enforces GDPR violations, while the 2026 EU Data Act may further restrict industrial data scraping.
Key Regulations for Web Scraping in Netherlands
- Copyright Compliance: Scraping copyrighted content (e.g., paywalled articles) without permission violates the Dutch Copyright Act, even if data is publicly accessible. Exceptions exist for “fair dealing” (e.g., news reporting), but automated extraction rarely qualifies.
- GDPR and Privacy: Personal data (e.g., user profiles, contact details) cannot be scraped without a lawful basis (consent, legitimate interest). The AP has fined companies for scraping LinkedIn profiles without explicit consent, emphasizing strict enforcement.
- Technical Protections: Bypassing CAPTCHAs, IP bans, or terms-of-service restrictions (e.g.,
robots.txt) may constitute circumvention under the Dutch Penal Code (Wetboek van Strafrecht) or the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), risking civil or criminal liability.