Freelancers’ home addresses to be kept under wraps

Freelance journalists, who work from home, will no longer be legally obliged to register their private address with the Chambers of Commerce, therefore making it public, according to a letter to parliament from the Minister of Economic Affairs, Micky Adriaansens.

Freelancers will still, however, have to register a PO box or another alternative postal address. And government organisations such as the Tax and Customs Administration can still view the data, just like other bodies that have legal permission for this, such as lawyers.

Adriaansens said: “I propose this adjustment so that the privacy and therefore also the security of entrepreneurs will increase.”

The obligation to reveal private addresses has been a security concern for journalists. The minister, who is urging the Chambers of Commerce to implement the proposal as soon as possible, argues this will solve the problem.

Her proposal, part of the Trade Register Data Vision, will be debated in parliament in September.