Under a new bill, the Dutch government plans to give police greater powers to fight cybercrime, allowing investigators to hack into computers, install spyware, read emails and destroy files. The bill would also make it a crime for a suspect to refuse to decipher encrypted files during a police investigation. Police would be also allowed to break into servers located abroad.

The bill is expected the draft legislation will be put to parliament by the end of the year.

Critics say the proposed measures are unnecessary and could set a dangerous precedent for people living under oppressive governments.