On top of all the mass surveillance spying revelations, we now see the horror of a NZ Police Force out of control in terms of spying on NZers.
The extent of how the Police threaten businesses with handing over your personal information minus any warrant is the kind of totalitarian behaviour you see in a functioning Police State, not a Democracy!
I don’t know that many NZers who bled to death on foreign shores to fight for the Police to be able to secretly threaten businesses into giving them information on you without any judicial oversight whatsoever.
If you are not outraged by this, you don’t deserve to vote…
Police given personal information without search warrants
Broad swathes of people’s personal data are being sought regularly by police from airlines, banks, electricity companies, internet providers and phone companies without search warrants by officers citing clauses in the Privacy Act.
Senior lawyers and the Privacy Commissioner have told the Herald of concerns over the practice which sees the companies voluntarily give the information to police.
Instead of seeking a legal order, police have asked companies to hand over the information to assist with the “maintenance of the law”, threatened them with prosecution if they tell the person about whom they are interested and accept data with no record keeping to show how often requests are made.
The request from police carries no legal force at all yet is regularly complied with.
Production orders and search warrants, by contrast, carry a legal compulsion after being approved by a judge or senior court official.
The practice has emerged in recent cases cited by a number of lawyers and has seen a district court judge question the legal right of police to access a defendant’s electricity records without a legal order because of the “increasingly intrusive nature of the information gathered by power companies”.
Privacy Commissioner John Edwards said he was undertaking research to see if his office should become a central register recording the number of such requests. He said he intended to lead discussion with holders of information over how they could publicly declare the number of requests received.
“I have been concerned for some time there is not full transparency and accounting over the various means (those holding information) agencies are engaging with law enforcement agencies.”
He said a range of law enforcement bodies were citing clauses in the Privacy Act to get people’s personal details. Clauses in Principle 11 of the act allowed personal information to be provided if it was for “the maintenance of the law”, “protection of the public revenue”, to “prevent or lessen a serious threat” to inviduals and similar clauses.
But the broad intent of Principle 11 was to protect information, he said. “It is not a power to obtain information for the police.”
…but it gets so much worse than this. Because while the spineless, gutless businesses secretly hand over our personal information to the cops without any warrant is despicable, the banks in NZ then use that information as a negative credit blot against you!
That’s right, if the Police secretly ask the Bank to give them your personal information, the Banks then use that secret request as a negative mark on your credit rating.
You have no way of knowing that this has happened, what has been done with your personal information, why it was done nor do you even have the chance to clear whatever bad mark is put against your name. What if the Police just don’t like you? They can make a request, gain all your information and then secretly damage your credit rating. How many ex-partners of Police suspect that’s happened?
This flies in the face of every notion of natural justice we have!
If the Police believe they have the evidence to gain your information, they go to a Judge and present their evidence and the Judge gives them a warrant, so what is happening here is vast secret trawling and the negative unchallenged consequences that then come with that vast secret trawling.
I get that middle NZ worship’s authority and they have a romantic infatuation with the Police, but for the love of God, this is beyond dangerous. You all get how far away from Democracy this is right?
It’s a pity the Police spend so much time secretly taking our information and smearing our reputations but so little time being able to catch self confessing rapists who boast about their crimes online.
What is this Police Force for? Solving crimes and protecting the public or spying on the people?
Even Ex police staff can access your info and has done for years,they know the number to call or they ask serving police to do it for them
If anyone has a problem with ex police they can get back at you , they can get your number plate of your car and find out what they want to know and use the info indiscriminatly, its easier these days they just have the spy agency do it now. Privacy is a thing of the past thanks in main to National.
The problem with the spy bosses now is they give our info’ to overseas countries, so if you travel, you are open to breaches anywhere in the world,innocent or not.
Jesus Christ ! That’s outrageous . Well done you for bringing that particularly nasty little secret out into the light of day .
I wonder why the cops are circumventing due process at such a high risk of being outed , as has happened ??
That sounds like desperation to me .
Is there’s such a high level of dissent rising out of the ranks of the Masses are the cops starting to get very worried ? If that’s so, then the level of dissent must indeed be significant . Therefore were the voting numbers ( 48 % for Yankee Doodle Jonky-stien ) simply not accurate ? Therefore , why were they not accurate ? Was the last election a simple swindle of numbers ?
No other reason stacks up . Are the cops using such inapproprite actions to look for basic criminals ? I doubt it . Criminals are a huge industry and the last thing a cop would want, would be to be accused of doing the job of stopping criminal activity .
I reckon they’re looking for what I would call dissenter cells . Groups of people who’ve been pushed too far and the cops have instructions to compile a list for closer inspection .
Westpac Bank . The Bank for the Justice system / Cops . Westpac Bank . The Bank for the IRD . Westpac Bank . Foreign owned .
I’d a thought our Government should be the Peoples Bank for such things as police , justice and IRD work . Not some foreign owned Bank that will regard us humans as a resource and the more dysfunction the better . Is it not in the interests of the Banks therefore to make sure there is sufficient dysfunction within society to guarantee a decent return to maintain investor confidence ?
The foreign owned banks must go . ( Ooo , what’s that red dot ?? )
I do so enjoy the rather long and convoluted bow you draw there.
Careful mate …with your past track record around here – you might end up being the arrow in that bow and get slung clear across town into the local sewage ponds.
Here’s to mud on you’re face , baby !!
Just ignor Gosman Wild Katipo ,he will get bored with not being recognised and go away, but then again you might enjoy his silly arguments.
Hi Country Boy You got a bite from Groseman.
Bloody good picture you convey Martyn you brilliant editor.
Yes it is vey scary indeed when the Government uses good cops I know personally that would not want to carry out these dark ops jobs for the Corrupt Government but that was how Hitler began his reign right?
My elders mostly past now used to take me a once young National service army recruit to RSA and talk about fighting in Europe against that tyrant, and now I have one right on my back door without having surrendered after a declared war.
At least Hitler had the honesty to declare a war but these creeps just invade and take over and use our fine men and women in blue to do their dirty work until they wake up and realise they were used and revolt and sack the Government.
Is this our final demise?
In New York the stock exchange has NZ listed as NZ inc,we NZ people are the assets.
When a child is born they are listed on the stock exchange as assets and future income probability ,and anything they have can be classed as an asset to be traded in future.
The stock exchange never ask for permission to trade us,they do it without permission and in secret. In all our lives we may never know, how much we are traded for or to whom, everytime we pay tax its said part goes to stock exchange cant verify that but its said to be true, that’s why wealthy people are not taxed properly by certain governments because they are aware of the risk of upsetting wealthy people.
Governments and corporations use the people for future incomes.
in a possible One World Government they have all our info’ to use us
as their workers, its easy for them because we are listed as stock. There are many hidden agendas going on in the world and as far as NZ is concerned,John Keys job is to gather the info needed to match the stock records and hand us over . Planning for this has been going on for decades, the spy agencies can check us out any time they want.thats what mass surveillance is for ,not to catch us out for minor discrepancies but to keep an eye on their investments,us.
We are virtually owned thats probably why PM and leaders are so arrogant and careless of our wellbeing ,you can be JK fans or not ,it dosnt matter ,we will be all treated the same ,no favours for anyone.
We are the 99% the traders 1% but we don’t fight them we are so compliant and unbelieving of the plans,anyone who highlights the info is labelled conspiracy theorists, because it sounds like someone who is a nutter ,that way the majority don’t wish to know, a bit like calling people who don’t support the the so called Right , are called Leftie loonies because its an easy label to put people down and make some gullible people feel superior for agreeing with the right leaners..
Funny old world aint it ?
Thanks for that. Very real information. You need to google kiri campbell, armed with this very info she took on the banks in NZ and walked away.
A similar statement is “if you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to worry about”! The naivety of these statements betrays a woeful ignorance of history and human behaviour on the part of the general public. Comparatively speaking New Zealand has long been served by a honest and well intentioned police force doing what can be an extremely difficult job. However as with any organisation honesty and neutrality is not universal and good intentions, in proverbial terms, pave the road to hell. This is clear in the legislative reactions of many western governments to what in the scale of things is still a relatively insignificant terrorist threat. The actions of the NZ police reported in this article are completely unacceptable and are an example of power corrupting irrespective of intent.
All New Zealanders should think deeply on the words of the German Pastor;
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Its a two way street it sounds like the organisations handing out info willy nilly (illegally too)
should learn their rights and say No to the cops…
Hang on – silly me – they don’t give a monkey about us either.
I think maintenance of the status quo rather than maintenance of the law is what is going on.
unreal!
This is a terrible breach of trust on the part of the companies concerned, and an atrocious overreach of power by the police. The section they are quoting in the Privacy Act wasn’t intended to cover these circumstances, but rather if for example, a person was kidnapped and they needed to access their cellphone records to see where their last known position was via cell tower. If it were urgent they could potentially use this section of the Act to get the information required. If it wasn’t urgent, they were to get a warrant for any other criminal investigation.
The numbers (in excess of 1600 in the case of Trademe) show that this is now commonplace and not being used as the emergency measure it was meant to be. If similar numbers of requests are going through ISP’s for peoples internet logs, i.e. websites visited, emails sent etc, then this really is stepping into Big Brother territory.
The companies concerned should be requesting warrants in all cases. The police should be providing them. Otherwise no personal information should be given. Simple as that.
So…they are breaking the law, to uphold the law? Corruption can only contine if those in power, ignore it, condone it, or embrace it.
What a sad state of affairs. Underpinning the justice system is the quaint idea that people are treated ethically. I think witnesses are still required to take an oath on the bible or some other symbol of ethical behaviour. Do the police think it is acceptable for them to go outside the law while the rest of us are expected to follow the rules.
Forget about warrants.
These people are ALL acting above the law.
See Martyn’s ‘The Right’s defence of spying…..’March 24 comments.
Cheers.
‘Was the last election a simple swindle of numbers?” Well said CB, couldn’t of put it better myself.
Far out. At two recent protests cops were taking photos. I smiled and gave a peace sign in one lol unreal stuff. Interestingly…. the book ‘Animal farm ‘ landed in my lap today…..
Maria A couple of years ago I took part in a small peaceful protest and was indeed shocked to find I was being filmed by police. So I’m sure I’m on a file somewhere as a dissenter, though they would have had to identify me first
Here’s a cowboy song for yer anyways…sung to the tune of Johnny Horton’s ‘ North to Alaska ‘.
Way up North ! ( North to Kaitaia )
Way up North ! ( North to Kaitaia )
North to Kaitaia !
They’re goin North , elections on.
North to Kaitaia !
They’re goin North , elections on.
Big Winnie left old Auckland in the year of two – fifteen
With a couple of mates in a big blue bus, and campaigned all over the scene,
They crossed the Wairua river , West of Whangarei
And Winnie jumped off that big old bus and proceeded to say gidday !
Winnie crossed the mountains to the valleys far below
He turned to a team of reporters and smiling said ” I must go !! ”
With the Northern votes a – runnin’ wild with no bridges to be seen…
Yes , Winnie Peters was a mighty man in the year of two fifteen
Where the river is winding , more votes they are finding,
North ! to Kaitaia !
They’re goin North , elections on.
Way up North ! ( North to Kaitaia )
Way up North ! ( North to Kaitaia )
North to Kaitaia
They’re goin North , elections on.
North ! to Kaitaia
They’re goin North , elections on.
Mark turned to Winston with Key’s promises at hand,
Said : ” Winston you’re a – lookin .. at a lonely , lonely man,
” I’d trade all the gold that’s buried in this land
” For 10 small bridges and an M P’s job and a way to make my stand
” Cos a candidate and a newbie , needs helpin all the time
” Remember , Winston , for a newbie , – a seat is hard to find
” I’ll build my office near the Wairua river , West of Whangarei
” If I could just be like you Winnie , I’d laugh and sing all day
Where the river is winding ,
More votes for Winnie they’re finding ,
North ! , to Kaitaia
Winnie’s gone North , elections on.
North ! to Kaitaia ,
Winnie’s gone North , elections on.
WILD KATIPO;
Brilliant!!!
Copyright IT.
Cheers.
L00L….not really appropriate for the topic I know, but just thought we could all do with a giggle at Key’s expense.
” Winston Peter’s hasn’t got a chance of winning Northland ” – Key.
Yeah bloody right , mate.
Arrogant sod.
The police also get customs officers to do searches for them when they can not get a lawful warrant.
Customs officers love this …………. hell, they will even sexually assault female visitors to our country who are visiting DotCom … It’s Rapey as fuck.
…….. but back to the cops …… is all the abusing of police powers why the police were ‘to busy and overworked’ to do even a half arsed semi-decent investigation into the roastbuster pack rapist’s??? …… coz according to Greg oCONnor the poor dears are overworkied
Greg-Con …… was a drug squad cop …… just like sabin ….. just like rickards
When the police stop telling lies and abusing their powers against cannabis and its users………… then I’ll believe we have an honest police force.
Until then I presume the sabinization of our police force and the bad abuses of power that goes with that is entrenched.
They are as dodgy as their stats in Judith Collins electorate
It does make you wonder what they’re actually trying to get out of electricity records. Here’s few things that come to mind:
– with the later generation meters they should be able to pull out electricity usage across the day and week, to get an idea of your routine
– overall electricity usage: but what would that be good for? if they were guessing you might have extra lamps set up for growing marijuana or something, I’d think power use would be a very crude way to guess that given there’s so much variability in use depending on how well the house is insulated, etc. What else would how much you spend on power be good for as far as crime goes?
– just a source of other private info like date of birth, middle name – surely they can get that elsewhere.
I’m struggling to see how any of the info in points two and three they wouldn’t be able to get anyway or what use it would be. Which makes me think it must be related to getting an idea of your routine via electricity usage patterns?
I think the idea is that eventually the ‘smart’ meter will be connected up to all your other smart devices in the house which will provide ‘richer’ data. This can then be sold on to other companies at a high profit. That’s what I read somewhere anyway.
It’s been going on for donkeys. As the Scott Watson jury was deliberating the verdict I emailed PNHQ and asked, “Regarding the blonde hairs “found” on Scott Watson’s tiger blanket, how did the Charles cartridge get into the Crewe’s garden?”
Within 2 hours the cops had accessed and rifled through my bank accounts and then went on to accused me of conspiring in a criminal enterprise with one of my tenants because he was paying $5 less a week than my other four tenants. Desperate wankers the lot of them!
Important to this discussion, a major investigation in two-parts on intersections between US military industrial complex and Silicon Valley focusing on two entities: Google and the Pentagon’s Highlands Forum:
By Nafeez Ahmed. http://www.nafeezahmed.com/
How the CIA made Google – part 1 Why Google made the NSA – part 2
Practices revealed in Martyn’s piece; home-grown, secretive information exchanges across the firewall- are in every way representative of the tactics exposed both by Mr. Ahmed’s investigation, and IW ‘upping the ante’ [information warfare] on opposition to authority systems in play here and globally:
http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-psychological-warfare-in-ukraine-targeting-online-independent-media-coverage/5437883
You misspelled ‘Police Farce’. . . 😉
– “It’s a pity the Police spend so much time secretly taking our information and smearing our reputations but so little time being able to catch self confessing rapists who boast about their crimes online.”
– “…….. but back to the cops …… is all the abusing of police powers why the police were ‘to busy and overworked’ to do even a half arsed semi-decent investigation into the roastbuster pack rapist’s??? …… coz according to Greg oCONnor the poor dears are overworkied”
Martyn and Reason, I would suggest the failure of the Police to fully investigate this matter and come up with an answer is because of the Police connection with the ‘Roast Busters’ group. It is common knowledge that a policeman’s son was involved in the group and tweaking the report on this issue would be relatively easy compared to the more excessive nonsense our law enforcement specialists get up to nowadays.
I be the Privacy Commissioner will do stuff all about this practice, which is appalling. The Commissioner is a poodle, and if he ever does anything, it is simply a recommendation of sorts, a wet busticket on the wrist kind of action, same as the Health and Disability Commissioner usually does.
It is beyond belief how New Zealanders put up with such crap, but sadly most do, shrug their shoulders and walk on, to the next shopping centre to follow their consumerist instinct. That is unless a cricket or rugby game is on.
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