What, wait, the Police are trying to gain MORE search and surveillance powers?

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You would think that the Police have enough power right? The Search and Surveillance Act gave the Police vast powers

  • 3 day ‘fishing’ trips for the police who can spy on you with no warrant whatsoever
  • No right to silence
  • Domestic spying by 3rd parties
  • The media losing their right to protect sources.

…it was retrospective legislation that was passed so that Police caught illegally spying on the so called Urewera ‘terrorists’ were able to get away without any prosecution.

Rewarding Police who broke the law by making the laws they broke legal is bewildering.

So after gaining phenomenal powers with barely any judicial oversight because they were caught out acting illegally, you’d be really surprised that the buggers were now trying to re-write the Search and Surveillance Act to get MORE power.

That’s right folks, they want more power…

‘Cloud’ technologies prompt Search & Surveillance Act review 

Green Party co-leader Metiria Turei says she is concerned by a review that may extend Police’s search and surveillance powers in “the cloud”.

Police may be given new powers to search for information that crime suspects share through social media or store on cloud-based computer services.

Justice Minister Amy Adams said the growth of “smart devices”, apps, social media and cloud-based services had posed “challenges” for Police and other agencies investigating and prosecuting crime.

The Search and Surveillance Act would be reviewed to see whether any changes were needed, she said.

“When considering these issues, it’s important to take into account the potential implications for people’s privacy, as well as other rights the Act recognises,” she said.

…the Police have enough bloody power, why do they need more? Will these searches require a search warrant?  Because what the Police seem to be wanting here is the GCSB to act as the 3rd party to simply go through anyones cloud without a warrant.

I can’t imagine there are that many sleepy hobbits in NZ who would think allowing Government Agencies to just sift through our clouds was a very good idea, so you’ll hear lots of jargon that makes what they are trying to do here sound really boring and dull.

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Strip away their spin and it’s the Police wanting to perform warrantless searches on your social media clouds – that’s the only expansion of power they could gain from  re-writing the Act because they already have gained so much unchecked existing power in the first version of it.

Once people realise where this review is going, watch the public outcry and the sudden release of a new Police hip hop dance challenge on Youtube.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. Yes Martyn I was Dr Wayne Hope talk about this on 5th Estate the other night, and he said if they get this it will truly a police state then!!!!!

    I worry why the opposition aren’t even saying anything about this yet as they must have been briefed in parliament already before we all heard?

    And would this extend to surveillance over us all as community political activists too?

    Is the ruling party Nactional also exposed to the same surveillance too?

    Would they be able to spy through a police portal into all opposition members activities before the up coming election so this will benefit only them?

    This should be forced to be investigated by a Royal commission now as this creeping police control is getting opened up far to free to be used as a corruption device and to prevent “fair secretive secure election process” under the Electoral Act rules of Electoral secret voting rights the Commissioner has already advised us is our rights??
    QUOTE COMISSONER SAID IN AN EMAL TO US TWO MONTHS AGO; “THE ELECTORAL ACT 1993; under section 187 of the Electoral Act 1993 to protect the secrecy of the ballot, no person can see how the voter has voted”

    IF THE POLICE HAVE WIDE SPEAD POWERS OF SUVEILAENCE OVER US THEY COULD OVER RIDE THESE RIGHT UNDER THE 1993 ELECTORAL ACT SECTION 187 FOR A SERCET VOTE.

    WE NEED OPPOSITION PARIES TO PLACE AN INJUCTION TO STOP THESE POLICE POWERS BILL.

  2. I’m sure that Andrew Little will make the inevitable noises about preserving our freedoms and democracy, and then fall in nicely behind Uncle John…

  3. Yep, that is why I do NOT fall for all these IT providers trying to entice us to use their new “cloud based services” to store files.

    There is NO security there, I warn people, do NOT sign up to cloud based storage, unless it may be less sensitive data you have.

    Keep it stored in separate storage drives, keep it backed up separately from your computer you use, make sure that it is kept discretely and private, under your own direct control.

    If it may not be the GCSB or other agencies, criminals will know how to crack codes and get access also, and then all of what you may have stored there can be sucked out and copied.

    Encrypt and keep it under your own control, and do not use the cloud.

    But most internet service providers already run email systems and much else by also using the cloud. So be mindful of what you write and send, if sensitive, encrypt it.

  4. I thought the government were the law makers and the police were responsible for upholding the law. Since when did Key allow the police to become political law makers? Oops, my mistake, this is what we get when corruption is created through a tyrannical government being lobbied by a service that’s supposed to do right, but prefers bribery with kickbacks in furthering their powers to unnecessary levels. No wonder the legal system won’t act on making arrests against politicians for their law breaking activities.

    • YES Trevor THATS EXCACTLY THE ISSUE.

      We don’t know what the police are now up to so be aware of how you store your emails.

      Don’t use cloud based files and store them on email based systems like Microsoft outlook or other similar.

      Also use Ethernet not WiFi and unplug the Ethernet when not sending emails and make sure you have the WiFi disabled all the time so they cant hack into your computer.

      Stay as safe as we can.

      • “Stay as safe as we can.”

        A friend who is an anarchist and professional programmer is constantly reminding me that if there was every anything I don’t want the authorities to know about, the best practice is to not make *any* record of it using *any* digital device. Professional spooks like Snowden know what security precautions to take because they know exactly what tools *they* would use to spy on themselves. For anyone who doesn’t have this level of knowledge, if they type anything into any kind of computer they might as well be spray-painting it on a public wall.

        I’m reminded of an activist acquaintance who insisted I install PGP software on a computer at an activist centre I volunteered at. They used it to communicate securely with… Rob Gilchrist. They might as well have CC’d all their emails directly to the Police Threat Assessment Unit.

  5. Not in reference to police but certainly a related question about our increasingly non-existent privacy: why should someone you’re trying to rent a house from have access to information about whether or not you have a drivers licence?
    http://www.tinz.net.nz/rates.html

    How does that impact on your ability to be a decent tenant? Do landlords need to have a drivers licence? Or pass a character test? Or provide references? It’s amazing how possession of private property or capital gets translated into a positive moral quality just as par for the course. The more you have, the less you need to prove yourself, the less you have, watch out, basically. Where’s the social justice in that?

    • “Personal character check”, anyone?
      http://www.tinz.net.nz/rates.html

      “Searches & Lodgements explanations:

      Personal Character Check. Non Date of Birth verified possible information. Includes Tenancy Tribunal orders, Court Orders, Google, Facebook, News sites, Companies Office, Police 10/7, Sensible Sentencing Trust, NZ Gazette, Obituary Results.”

      I’m sure it’s all done in good faith, and with the highest levels of discretion in mind. This is, after all, New Zealand.

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