If Your Bicycle Got Stolen, Then Open a Facebook Account and Send the US Lots of Personal Data to Get the Bicycle Back (or Try to)
Let Zuck steal your data
3 years ago we said that Brussels Police would offer "No Help Unless You Open an Account at Facebook".
Now, page 13 of "this jailed PDF," a local tells us, "re-iterates the city’s commitment to forcing people into Facebook". Here they go:
In English:
What about VOL? (THEFT)If theft of your bike took place without violence or direct contact and if you do not know the author of the facts, the complaint to the police can be made online (my.police.be) or in a police station (taking an appointment in advance via polbruno.be). The bicycles found are listed on a Facebook page, managed by the Brussels Region, the police and the CyCLO asbl (f MyBike. Brussels Bikes found). If you recognize your bike, follow the instructions to know who to contact and how to get it back.
So in the "capital of Europe" you need to turn to an American company and repeat violator of the GDPR if you've suffered a crime.
Way to go, Brussels.
The local says "this might be a better source (I have to translate it)," adding a "translation for the Brussels Today article":
A joint operation of the BTI Team 8 and the Local Research Centre of the Brussels Police Capitale-Ixelles allowed to put hands on several alleged bicycles stolen during a check following a situation deemed suspect. Thanks to this intervention, some of the owners have already been found, but several bicycles are still waiting to be claimed by their legitimate owners. In the announcement that was posted on Facebook and that you will find at the bottom of this article, you will see all the bikes found.If you recognize one of these bikes or think it might be yours, the police invite you to contact them quickly. Each bike is individually referenced and can be identified with specific details provided by the owner during the contact.
To report that one of these bikes belongs to you, contact the police via private message on their dedicated page "Vancingflic" by mentioning the reference of the advertisement and the number of the bike concerned. In order to check your legitimacy as the owner, specific details will be requested, such as the serial number, photos or any other element to prove that the bike belongs to you.
To protect your bicycles, consider registering them in databases like mybike.brussels, a Brussels-based initiative to facilitate the identification of stolen bicycles. The recording is to mark your bike with a unique number linked to your personal details. In the event of flight, it simplifies the procedures to recover it.
"It shows an ongoing problem," the local adds, "in 2024 and even this month the police continue to use Facebook for info that should be public".
There's this new article this week in the national German media, entitled: "Can Germany withstand massive cyberattacks?"
The answer, in a word, is "no". Here it is in Invidious. █