Dutch police have arrested a man for reportedly refusing to relinquish files they sent him: 'He would only comply if he received something in return'

A 40-year old man from Ridderkerk in the Netherlands has been arrested for reportedly downloading files accidentally sent to him by the police, then apparently refusing to send them back unless he received a reward.

That's according to the Dutch National Police's report on the incident (via BitDefender). The report (machine translated) says the man was arrested for 'computer hacking'. Prior to the incident, he was in contact with the police to send over files related to a different case.

When the police sent a link for him to upload images in his possession, he was instead sent to a different page entirely. "Due to an error, a download link was shared instead of an upload link, allowing the man to download confidential police documents."

The Dutch police don't go into much detail about how this actually happened and why. Though we know a link was sent to the alleged blackmailer, it's not explained how confidential documents were uploaded to said communication platform.

After the man reportedly downloaded the files, the police reached out and told him to delete them, but "He stated that he would only comply if he received something in return." Thus, the police chose to arrest the man and search his home for the files to "prevent possible dissemination." The Dutch police don't make it clear exactly what the man wanted 'in return' here, though one might assume it's monetary in some form.

The police imply that not only is refusing to delete the files and asking for a reward a potential unlawful act, but downloading said files could be too.

The report says, "If you receive a download link knowing you should be receiving an upload link, are clearly told not to download, and then choose to download the files anyway, you may be guilty of computer trespassing." It continues, "The recipient could reasonably assume that the download link and the files shared with it are not intended for them."

I'm a little too wary to go downloading files without direct confirmation of what they are, but now I know that if I ever do, I probably shouldn't attempt to blackmail the sender. That's especially true if they're in law enforcement, it seems.