Local authorities in the Netherlands are using social media for large-scale snooping on citizens, new research has found.
The study says some civil servants used fake accounts to monitor local Facebook and Twitter pages.
It is suggested the authorities were seeking to maintain public order and forecast any protests planned online.
Dutch law states that only police and intelligence services can spy on citizens under strict conditions.
The Netherlands interior ministry has confirmed it is working with local authorities to investigate the reports. I am taking this very seriously, said Interior Minister Kajsa Ollongren. The privacy of citizens is, of course, paramount.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte narrowly survived a no-confidence motion by the opposition in parliament on Thursday night, which saw him accused of lying during negotiations to form his coalition. I remain prime minister. I will work hard to regain confidence, Rutte, whose liberal VVD party won the most seats in last month s parliamentary elections, told the media.
He received support from the two main parties in his former coalition, the centre-left D66 and the centre-right CDA, while all opposition parties voted against him.
It marks one of the most significant political battles in Rutte s long career - he has held office since 2010.
With female participation in this week s election in the Netherlands breaking records, one campaign group can be excused for feeling optimistic.
Stem op een Vrouw (Vote For A Women) was set up in 2017 to achieve parity in the Dutch parliament and have as many women and men in the 150-seat parliament.
Last year, around a third of MPs in the House of Representatives were female, according to statistics from the World Bank. That s down from 42% in 2010, the highest proportion in the country for more than two decades.
There is an unprecedented 10 women leading political parties into the election. Sitting at the top of their party s electoral lists, they stand the best chance of getting into parliament.
The Dutch government has said that it would adjust rules to accept certain mail-in ballots for the general election.
This week s vote is being held during the COVID-19 pandemic and measures have been taken to protect voters from infection.
Polling stations have been opened for three days to allow social distancing at ballot boxes, while more citizens have been asked to vote by post than ever before.
Specifically, citizens aged 70 years or over were asked to vote by mail, many of them for the first time.
As the first mail-in ballots were submitted, Dutch authorities received reports that postal voters had been submitting incorrect envelopes.
Politicians using social media to sow seeds of doubt in an election process and make unfounded claims of fraud is a familiar story in the United States, but it has now also been making an appearance in the Netherlands.
In the lead-up to this week s polls, far-right social media accounts have been making vague comments that ballots will be rigged.
There is no evidence to support these claims.
The claims have been spread by MP candidates, including Thierry Baudet, the founder and leader of the far-right Forum for Democracy (FVD).
Analysts say that pre-emptive efforts are being made to delegitimise the result of the Dutch elections.