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Security report for bitsoffreedom.nl

Bits of Freedom · Non-profit · Netherlands

Partial score · DNS & email only

61/100

0–100, higher is better. How it is calculated

Bits of Freedom is a well-established Dutch non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for internet freedom, privacy, and communication rights. With a 25-year history, it holds a strong position in the digital rights advocacy space in the Netherlands, engaging a broad audience through campaigns, educational content, and active supporter involvement. The website reflects a professional and consistent brand image, with clear navigation and comprehensive content tailored to its mission. Technically, the site is built on WordPress with WooCommerce for e-commerce capabilities, enhanced by modern libraries and frameworks such as jQuery, Foundation Sites, and lazy loading for performance optimization. Analytics are handled via Piwik/Matomo, respecting privacy considerations. Security posture is solid with HTTPS and secure forms, though improvements are recommended in security headers and formal policies. Privacy compliance is mostly addressed with a comprehensive privacy policy, but lacks a cookie consent mechanism. Overall, the site is trustworthy and professionally maintained, supporting its non-profit advocacy goals effectively.

Scanned

This is an earlier scan of bitsoffreedom.nl. View the latest report
3 of 7 checks could not complete. The site may be unreachable or blocking automated scans, so the results below cover only what could be checked. Try a rescan later.

NIS2 and GDPR posture

GDPR outside view
33/ 100 · High
Checks completed
4of 7

NIS2 Art. 21(2)

  1. (a) Risk analysis and security policies: Not visible from outside
  2. (b) Incident handling: One indicator
  3. (c) Business continuity, backups and crisis management: Not visible from outside
  4. (d) Supply chain security: Not visible from outside
  5. (e) Secure acquisition, development and maintenance, including vulnerability handling: Partly checked
  6. (f) Assessing the effectiveness of security measures: Not visible from outside
  7. (g) Cyber hygiene and security training: Not visible from outside
  8. (h) Cryptography and encryption: Partly checked
  9. (i) HR security, access control and asset management: One indicator
  10. (j) Multi-factor authentication and secured communications: Not visible from outside

This scan rated NIS2 with an earlier keyword method that is no longer shown; rescan for the per-article view. Risk management, continuity, supply chain, training, MFA, management oversight (Art. 20) and incident reporting (Art. 23) need internal evidence, and Guard cannot tell whether NIS2 applies to this organisation.

GDPR is indicative only, based on publicly visible signals: Articles 7, 12, 13 and 32 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Article 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive. Not a certification or legal assessment.

Priority findings

3 findings rated critical or high. Fix these first.

  1. GDPR outside view

    These are the privacy signals visitors and data protection authorities look for under GDPR.

    • Critical

      EU business without adequate privacy measures

      EU businesses are subject to strict GDPR requirements

      What to do: Implement comprehensive GDPR compliance including privacy policy, cookie consent, and data protection measures

    • High

      No Cookie Policy found

      GDPR requires clear information about cookie usage

      What to do: Add a dedicated cookie policy explaining cookie usage and purposes

    • High

      No Cookie Consent Banner found

      GDPR requires explicit consent for non-essential cookies

      What to do: Implement a cookie consent banner that appears on first visit

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Keep watching bitsoffreedom.nl

This scan found 11 issues across 3 checks. Monitoring re-runs those checks daily, emails you when something material changes and records each fix, so you can show progress.

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  • TLS certificates and expiry
  • DNS records
  • SPF, DKIM and DMARC
  • Security headers
  • GDPR and NIS2 posture
  • Exposed services
  • Third-party trackers
  • Security score drift

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Results by check

Each check with its score, findings and the evidence it collected.

How this score is calculated

The security score runs 0–100, higher is better. It is the plain average of the security checks that completed in this scan, each counted equally. A check that could not run is left out: it counts neither as a pass nor as a fail.

Counted in this score

Security headers
80
DNS health
70
GDPR outside view
33
Average
61

Not counted

  • SSL/TLS: did not complete in this scan.
  • Email security: did not complete in this scan.
  • Network security: did not complete in this scan.
  • NIS2 outside view: Re-weights evidence from the TLS, email, DNS, network and hygiene checks, so counting it would count that evidence twice. Shown on its own.
  • OffSeq Observations: An AI reading of the site, useful context but not reproducible evidence. Shown on its own.

Findings that cap the score at 49

Each of these is serious on its own, so while any is present the site cannot rate better than high risk, however good the other checks are.

  • The certificate is not trusted by browsers
  • The website is not served over HTTPS
  • A database, remote desktop, file-sharing or Telnet service is reachable from the internet
  • The page loads a script from a compromised source
  • The domain registration has expired
  • SPF authorises every server to send mail as the domain

Partial scans

When the site blocks Guard or most checks cannot run, the score covers only the checks that ran (usually DNS and email), is capped at 75 and is shown as partial, without a risk level.

Risk levels

  • Critical0–25
  • High26–49
  • Medium50–75
  • Low76–100

Technical appendix

Business context, site observations and technical notes gathered during the scan, and the standards behind each reference.

Business context

Business profile

Bits of Freedom operates as a non-profit advocacy organization focused on digital rights, internet freedom, and privacy protection. Its business model relies on donations, supporter engagement, and awareness campaigns. The organization targets a general audience concerned with digital rights, including individuals, activists, and policymakers. The website's integration with donation platforms and newsletters indicates a mature supporter ecosystem. Partnerships with related organizations such as Big Brother Awards and platform rights campaigns enhance its influence and outreach. The organization's longevity and transparent WHOIS data reinforce its credibility and stable market position within the non-profit sector.

Security posture

The website demonstrates a good security maturity level with HTTPS enforced site-wide and secure form handling. No exposed sensitive data or vulnerable libraries were detected in the HTML content. However, the absence of key security headers such as Content-Security-Policy and X-Frame-Options suggests room for improvement. There is no visible security policy or incident response information published, which could enhance transparency and preparedness. The lack of a security.txt file limits vulnerability disclosure options. Overall, the security posture is solid but could benefit from formalized policies and additional technical controls to mitigate risks further.

Recommendations

  1. Implement comprehensive security headers including Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, and X-Content-Type-Options.
  2. Publish a formal security policy and incident response plan accessible on the website.
  3. Add a security.txt file to facilitate responsible vulnerability disclosure.
  4. Introduce a cookie consent mechanism to ensure full GDPR compliance.
  5. Regularly audit and update third-party plugins and libraries to prevent vulnerabilities.
Site observations

Automated reading of the public site. Ratings are indicative.

Business

Company
Bits of Freedom
Description
Bits of Freedom is a non-profit organization advocating for internet freedom by protecting online fundamental rights related to communication freedom and privacy.
Key services
Advocacy for internet freedom, Campaigns on privacy and communication rights, Educational content and newsletters, Donor engagement and fundraising
Content quality
excellent
Branding
consistent

Technology

Stack
WordPress, WooCommerce, jQuery, Piwik/Matomo Analytics, MailPoet, Easy Video Player, LazySizes (lazy loading images), Foundation Sites (CSS/JS framework)
Frameworks
WordPress
Platforms
WooCommerce
Performance
moderate
Mobile
good
Accessibility
good
SEO
good

Security

Observed score
85/100
Good practices seen
  • HTTPS enforced
  • No exposed sensitive data in HTML
  • Use of secure forms with validation

Analytics and tracking

Services
Piwik/Matomo
Tracking level
moderate
Privacy practices
good

Advertising

Tracking pixels
Piwik/Matomo
Marketing tools
MailPoet
Transparency
good

Site quality

Design
excellent
User experience
excellent
Content relevance
excellent
Navigation
excellent
Professionalism
excellent
Trustworthiness
high

Key observations

  1. Website is a well-established Dutch non-profit focused on internet freedom and privacy.
  2. Content is comprehensive, professionally presented, and regularly updated.
  3. Strong social media and community engagement presence.
  4. No signs of malicious or suspicious activity.
  5. Security posture is good but could be improved with additional headers and formal policies.
  6. No cookie consent mechanism detected, which may be a GDPR compliance gap.
  7. Donation and supporter engagement is a key business model component.
Technical notes

Notes

The website is built on a modern WordPress CMS platform with WooCommerce integration for e-commerce functionality. It uses a combination of jQuery, Foundation Sites framework, and lazy loading techniques to optimize performance and user experience. Analytics are managed through Piwik/Matomo, reflecting a privacy-conscious approach. The site is mobile-optimized with responsive design and good accessibility features. Performance is moderate, with potential for improvement through further optimization. The technical stack is mature and well-maintained, supporting the organization's digital presence effectively while allowing for scalability and future enhancements.
Standards and sources

Reference chips under each finding point to the standard, regulation or specification the finding relates to. They are taken from the official datasets below and mapped conservatively: a finding with no defensible link shows none. NIS2 and GDPR references mark where a finding is relevant evidence, not a compliance verdict. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2690 binds digital infrastructure and digital service providers; for other entities it is the most detailed public reading of the Article 21 measures. WCAG, EN 301 549, European Accessibility Act and Web Accessibility Directive references name the requirement an automated accessibility rule relates to; they are not a conformance verdict.

Retrieved 2026-10-25

Earlier scans of this domain

  1. 71/100Medium27 findingsView report
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