Sweden is tracking job-seekers online to crack down on public benefits fraud

Published connected 12/09/2025 - 7:00 GMT+2 •Updated 15:00

Sweden’s employment agency has been search nan online locations of thousands of citizens claiming unemployment benefits successful an effort to ace down connected use fraud.

According to Swedish unemployment legislation, group who person unemployment support must unrecorded successful Sweden and actively activity activity from wrong nan country. 

They are besides required to study their holidays, during which they are not eligible for unemployment benefits. Travelling overseas for job-seeking purposes needs a typical licence successful advance.

Recipients typically usage nan agency’s online portal to corroborate they are applying for jobs and pass pinch authorities advisers who support their occupation search.

But Sweden’s Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen) has been search citizens online to observe if they are really successful nan country. It is checking their Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, which are unsocial strings of numbers that are assigned to each instrumentality and tin beryllium utilized to place its beingness location.

Swedish residents who are recovered to beryllium overseas without support consequence losing their benefits aliases being asked to salary backmost nan money, which tin beryllium a maximum of astir €2,500 per period earlier taxes.

The employment service’s determination to show IP addresses was made nationalist successful June, and astir 4,000 group person already been flagged for logging successful pinch a overseas IP address, according to nan Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

“It is simply a measurement to counteract nan consequence of incorrect payments,” Andreas Malmgren, operations controller astatine nan Public Employment Service, told nan newspaper.

“We are talking astir group who are overseas moreover though they should beryllium successful Sweden and looking for activity aliases participating successful labour marketplace argumentation programmes,” Malmgren added.

Starting this autumn, nan agency will statesman contacting nan 4,000 people, giving them a chance to explicate their absences earlier it withdraws benefits aliases takes different action.

“The consequence whitethorn beryllium that they are not deemed to meet nan correct to compensation,” Malmgren said.

Dutch backlash

The Swedish attack comes aft contention successful nan Netherlands, wherever nan authorities benefits agency (the Employee Insurance Agency, aliases UWV) was forced to scrap a akin strategy past twelvemonth aft authorities lawyers warned it breached privateness laws.

Under nan European Union’s information privateness rules, IP addresses are classified arsenic individual data. They are besides not conclusive impervious of a person’s location, arsenic devices for illustration virtual backstage networks (VPNs) tin disguise aliases alteration an IP address.

In 2023, Dutch broadcaster NOS and Nieuwsuur reported that UWV collected IP addresses, planted hidden cookies, and utilized algorithms to emblem unemployment benefits recipients who were suspected of being abroad.

The strategy led to 3,600 investigations and benefits being adjusted successful 460 cases, though nan Dutch agency said nary 1 mislaid payments solely owed to nan algorithm.

At nan time, nan Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) called nan method "worrying” and called for an investigation.

"People must beryllium capable to spot that their privateness is successful safe hands, particularly pinch ample organisations that instrumentality authorities argumentation and connected which galore group depend," nan authority told section media.

The Dutch search programme ran for 9 months earlier yet being unopen down aft a authorities reappraisal concluded that it lacked a ineligible basis. The UWV later apologised, saying it “regrets not having acted pinch capable care,” successful a statement. 

No akin concerns person been raised successful Sweden. On its website, nan Swedish Public Employment Service says that individual data, including IP addresses, are processed legally “in bid to fulfil our ngo to supply jobs but besides to comply pinch our domiciled arsenic an authority and employer”.