Government organisations can now use a script to mask privacy-sensitive information in signals from citizens and entrepreneurs about societal issues or in their interactions with government. This marks a significant step forward in the Netherlands’ Digitalisation Strategy (NDS) priority that puts citizens and entrepreneurs first. With the public release of the masking script, a new GitHub environment has been launched, where additional digital building blocks will become available over time.
As long as texts from citizens and businesses, such as emails, letters or meeting reports, contain traceable personal data, signals cannot be processed. Removing or replacing this data is therefore a necessary first step. After this, signals can be labelled, categorised and, where possible, analysed. Scripts for these purposes, including AI-based ones, are already in development.
Frontrunners
To advance government-wide signal management, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) and a project team comprising municipalities, national service providers and other ministries are working closely together. This group consists of organisations seen as frontrunners. By the end of 2025, they jointly developed the Government-wide Vision on Signal Management (Dutch). The municipality of Rotterdam developed the masking script, which is fully open-source and freely available to everyone.
More Information
Would you like to use the script? It is available on the masking script webpage on GitHub. Over the coming months, the Gebruiker Centraal (User Needs First) project team will share more information about government-wide signal management on their website.
Would you like to learn more about government-wide signal management efforts? Are you developing building blocks that may interest others? Please email dienstverlening@minbzk.nl. You can also join the User Needs First Community to stay informed.
