**Rising AI Chatbot-Related Data Breaches in the Netherlands Spark Privacy Concerns**
The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) has reported a sharp increase in data breaches linked to workplace use of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini. So far this year, the regulator has recorded dozens of such incidents, highlighting growing risks as employees increasingly rely on these tools without proper safeguards.
The warning follows a recent breach at the municipality of Eindhoven, where sensitive personal data—including information on residents and municipal employees—was exposed after being uploaded to publicly accessible AI chatbots. The DPA noted that many of these leaks occur when employees use AI models independently, bypassing organizational security protocols.
A key concern is that free versions of popular chatbots often store user-inputted data, with unclear policies on how that information is later used. The regulator warned that such data could be incorporated into AI training datasets, potentially leading to unintended disclosures in future chatbot responses. The trend underscores the need for stricter workplace controls over AI tool usage to prevent further privacy violations.
Source: https://nltimes.nl/2025/12/30/dutch-privacy-watchdog-warns-rising-ai-chatbot-data-leaks
Gemeente Eindhoven cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/gemeente-eindhoven
"id": "GEM1767079552",
"linkid": "gemeente-eindhoven",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "12/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Residents and municipal '
'employees',
'industry': 'Public Sector',
'location': 'Eindhoven, Netherlands',
'name': 'Municipality of Eindhoven',
'type': 'Government'}],
'attack_vector': 'Misconfiguration / Unauthorized Use of AI Chatbots',
'data_breach': {'personally_identifiable_information': 'Yes',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (personally identifiable '
'information)',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'Personal data (residents and '
'employees)'},
'description': 'A data breach occurred at the municipality of Eindhoven where '
'a large number of files containing personal data about '
'residents and municipal employees were exposed through '
'publicly accessible AI chatbots. The Dutch Data Protection '
'Authority reported a rising trend of such AI-related breaches '
'due to unregulated workplace use of chatbots like ChatGPT, '
'Claude, and Gemini.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Potential reputational damage to the '
'municipality',
'data_compromised': 'Personal data of residents and municipal '
'employees',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
'legal_liabilities': 'Potential regulatory fines under GDPR',
'systems_affected': 'AI chatbots (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini)'},
'lessons_learned': 'Organizations must implement safeguards for AI chatbot '
'usage to prevent unauthorized data exposure. Employees '
'should not use AI tools without proper oversight.',
'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Lack of organizational policies '
'and safeguards for AI chatbot '
'usage, employee misuse of AI '
'tools'},
'recommendations': 'Enforce policies for AI chatbot usage, restrict access to '
'sensitive data, and monitor data inputs to AI tools. '
'Conduct employee training on data privacy risks '
'associated with AI chatbots.',
'references': [{'source': 'Het Financieele Dagblad'},
{'source': 'Dutch Data Protection Authority'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulations_violated': 'GDPR',
'regulatory_notifications': 'Reported to Dutch Data '
'Protection Authority'},
'title': 'AI Chatbot-Related Data Breach at Municipality of Eindhoven',
'type': 'Data Breach',
'vulnerability_exploited': 'Lack of organizational safeguards for AI chatbot '
'usage'}