New Dutch leader bans phones in Cabinet meetings to dial back espionage threat

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The new Dutch prime minister has banned cell phones and other mobile devices from the weekly meetings of his Cabinet in a move aimed at dialing back the risk of digital eavesdropping by spies. Dick Schoof said Friday that the “threat of espionage is timeless.”” and that electronic devices are all “little microphones.” Schoof is a former chief of the domestic intelligence agency. He calls the phone ban a “simple measure” to mitigate the risk of espionage that all his Cabinet ministers agreed to.