Smartphones are not welcome during meetings between ministers in the government of Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. Not because they can distract attention, but for security reasons. This is reported by the Dutch newspaper AD.
The members of the new Dutch government have agreed that during official political consultations, such as the weekly cabinet meeting on Friday or the budget council, no electronic devices are allowed in the meeting room. Tablets, laptops, smartphones, smartwatches and wireless earphones are stored in lockers during the meetings – each attendee has one with their own key – that are located outside the room.
It has nothing to do with the potential distractions that electronic devices can cause during those meetings. It’s all about cybersecurity, as it turned out. AD namely, and more specifically the risk that the meeting could be bugged. According to the newspaper’s sources, the past of the Dutch Prime Minister – Dick Schoof was the head of the anti-terrorist service – has a lot to do with it and no one makes a problem of it.
In our country, such a measure does not apply. Politicians and their staff take their devices into the room during meetings without any problem.