The Daily Blog Open Mic – Saturday – 30th May 2020

Don’t trust NZTA. – Here is a clear cut case to reform the NZTA as it shows disregard for public scrutiny of its operations as a public funded agency without any transparency. Listen through the link below to the only RNZ news cover today at 8am.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018748645

Latest RNZ News Bulletin
Previous Track Play/Pause Next Track.

01:26 08:29
• Latest RNZ News Bulletin 8′29″Digital Bulletin (30 May 2020)
WORD copy transcribed

Quote;

“the (NZTA) transport Agency has refused to release a report to the ‘conflicts of interests’ over the awarding of contracts over high tech projects.
The enquiry was sparked almost a year ago in the fallout from revelations of mismanagement in it’s now defunct “connected Journeys” unit.

The NZTA agency said last July 2019 it would release the report of findings and how it would correct them.

Nearly 11 months later it is – “citing a law that allows it to with hold that information that would prejudice the maintenance of that law”- The agency say’s that decision has been carefully considered”

Un -quote;

Full story from 2019.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/395618/questions-raised-over-how-nzta-protects-sensitive-information
“There has been a clear lack of management controls and processes implemented around such registration activity, with even the CJS Director involved.”
Contractors made up 90 percent of staff at Connected Journeys, which rapidly grew from eight people to 100 as it developed transportation apps.
“The high use of contractors means that a large amount of IP sits with individuals who are only meant to have short-term roles in the organisation,” Deloitte said.

NEW ZEALAND IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
31 Jul 2019
Questions raised over how NZTA protects sensitive information
11:31 am on 31 July 2019
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Phil Pennington, Reporter
@pjppenn phil.pennington@rnz.co.nz
Major questions have been asked about how the beleaguered Transport Agency protects its sensitive information.

Deloitte’s review prompted the agency to approach the former head of Connected Journeys, Martin McMullan, to ask about his internet start-up Frenzy. Photo: 123rf.com
A scathing review by Deloitte found IT controls at the agency’s Connected Journeys unit were patchy or missing.
“There are gaps in both HR [human resources] and technology practices that make it difficult to monitor the use and distribution of intellectual property [IP],” the report said.
“This exposes NZTA to risk of intellectual property loss or theft.”
The review prompted the agency to approach the former head of Connected Journeys, Martin McMullan, to ask about his internet start-up Frenzy.
He set up Frenzy App in January this year while still at NZTA, and set up Frenzy Holdings in April, after he left the agency in March, at the time the Deloitte review began.
Three senior people who worked under Mr McMullan as director of Connected Journeys have taken stakes in Frenzy since themselves leaving NZTA recently, including the former acting head of engineering.
“NZTA wrote to Mr McMullan, as the founder of Frenzy, to ensure that the company was not in possession of any NZTA trademarks or IP,” the agency told RNZ in a statement.
“We have received written confirmation through his legal representatives that Frenzy is a newly-created internet advertising business with no IP or technology at this stage, other than a logo trademark and a basic website, and that Mr McMullan has not retained access to the Agency’s IP in any form.”
The Frenzy website says it is developing an app that allows people to get discounts on transport by watching sponsored online content such as TV show promos.
Mr McMullan did not respond to RNZ’s requests for comment.
Deloitte did not seek his input to its review.
It found that Connected Journeys did not properly inform contractors and employees about their contractual obligations around intellectual property.
Some were given greater network access than necessary, put sensitive commercial information in third-party email accounts or used unapproved cloud data storage.
They used their personal devices and personal emails to do work without monitoring, and personally registered some NZTA domain names.
“There has been a clear lack of management controls and processes implemented around such registration activity, with even the CJS Director involved.”
Contractors made up 90 percent of staff at Connected Journeys, which rapidly grew from eight people to 100 as it developed transportation apps.
“The high use of contractors means that a large amount of IP sits with individuals who are only meant to have short-term roles in the organisation,” Deloitte said.
The combined effect was “gaps which could be exploited by individuals wishing to use NZTA intellectual property for their own purposes and benefit”.
“NZTA data and IP is freely transferrable to the private sphere.”
Deloitte declined to comment on whether it had, in fact, investigated if IP had been exploited, as opposed to merely identifying the weaknesses.
The Transport Agency said it was not aware of any cases of IP loss or theft, and that the Deloitte review did not find any, but identified vulnerabilities.
It was strengthening IP clauses in its hiring contracts, and rules around how devices are used, it said.
The Transport Agency refused to give RNZ an interview about its intellectual property security.
A lawyer specialising in intellectual property Virginia Nichols said the Deloitte review showed the problems that could arise from not managing or controlling contractors properly.
“Particularly in a section of Government that is working innovatively, and generating IP, care should be taken to make sure the terms of each contract are sufficiently robust before work starts, so that ownership of IP is held by the department,” she said.
“Ownership of IP by the Government is not inconsistent with Open Government. It is, in fact, essential to it, because the Government should not release or share what it does not own or control.”

10 COMMENTS

CLEANGREEN May 30, 2020 at 12:56 pm

Don’t trust NZTA. – Here is a clear cut case to reform the NZTA as it shows disregard for public scrutiny of its operations as a public funded agency without any transparency. Listen through the link below to the only RNZ news cover today at 8am.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018748645

Latest RNZ News Bulletin
Previous Track Play/Pause Next Track.

01:26 08:29
• Latest RNZ News Bulletin 8′29″Digital Bulletin (30 May 2020)
WORD copy transcribed

Quote;

“the (NZTA) transport Agency has refused to release a report to the ‘conflicts of interests’ over the awarding of contracts over high tech projects.
The enquiry was sparked almost a year ago in the fallout from revelations of mismanagement in it’s now defunct “connected Journeys” unit.

The NZTA agency said last July 2019 it would release the report of findings and how it would correct them.

Nearly 11 months later it is – “citing a law that allows it to with hold that information that would prejudice the maintenance of that law”- The agency say’s that decision has been carefully considered”

Un -quote;

Full story from 2019.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/395618/questions-raised-over-how-nzta-protects-sensitive-information
“There has been a clear lack of management controls and processes implemented around such registration activity, with even the CJS Director involved.”
Contractors made up 90 percent of staff at Connected Journeys, which rapidly grew from eight people to 100 as it developed transportation apps.
“The high use of contractors means that a large amount of IP sits with individuals who are only meant to have short-term roles in the organisation,” Deloitte said.

NEW ZEALAND IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
31 Jul 2019
Questions raised over how NZTA protects sensitive information
11:31 am on 31 July 2019
Share this
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook
• Share via email
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Linked In

Phil Pennington, Reporter
@pjppenn phil.pennington@rnz.co.nz
Major questions have been asked about how the beleaguered Transport Agency protects its sensitive information.

Deloitte’s review prompted the agency to approach the former head of Connected Journeys, Martin McMullan, to ask about his internet start-up Frenzy. Photo: 123rf.com
A scathing review by Deloitte found IT controls at the agency’s Connected Journeys unit were patchy or missing.
“There are gaps in both HR [human resources] and technology practices that make it difficult to monitor the use and distribution of intellectual property [IP],” the report said.
“This exposes NZTA to risk of intellectual property loss or theft.”
The review prompted the agency to approach the former head of Connected Journeys, Martin McMullan, to ask about his internet start-up Frenzy.
He set up Frenzy App in January this year while still at NZTA, and set up Frenzy Holdings in April, after he left the agency in March, at the time the Deloitte review began.
Three senior people who worked under Mr McMullan as director of Connected Journeys have taken stakes in Frenzy since themselves leaving NZTA recently, including the former acting head of engineering.
“NZTA wrote to Mr McMullan, as the founder of Frenzy, to ensure that the company was not in possession of any NZTA trademarks or IP,” the agency told RNZ in a statement.
“We have received written confirmation through his legal representatives that Frenzy is a newly-created internet advertising business with no IP or technology at this stage, other than a logo trademark and a basic website, and that Mr McMullan has not retained access to the Agency’s IP in any form.”
The Frenzy website says it is developing an app that allows people to get discounts on transport by watching sponsored online content such as TV show promos.
Mr McMullan did not respond to RNZ’s requests for comment.
Deloitte did not seek his input to its review.
It found that Connected Journeys did not properly inform contractors and employees about their contractual obligations around intellectual property.
Some were given greater network access than necessary, put sensitive commercial information in third-party email accounts or used unapproved cloud data storage.
They used their personal devices and personal emails to do work without monitoring, and personally registered some NZTA domain names.
“There has been a clear lack of management controls and processes implemented around such registration activity, with even the CJS Director involved.”
Contractors made up 90 percent of staff at Connected Journeys, which rapidly grew from eight people to 100 as it developed transportation apps.
“The high use of contractors means that a large amount of IP sits with individuals who are only meant to have short-term roles in the organisation,” Deloitte said.
The combined effect was “gaps which could be exploited by individuals wishing to use NZTA intellectual property for their own purposes and benefit”.
“NZTA data and IP is freely transferrable to the private sphere.”
Deloitte declined to comment on whether it had, in fact, investigated if IP had been exploited, as opposed to merely identifying the weaknesses.
The Transport Agency said it was not aware of any cases of IP loss or theft, and that the Deloitte review did not find any, but identified vulnerabilities.
It was strengthening IP clauses in its hiring contracts, and rules around how devices are used, it said.
The Transport Agency refused to give RNZ an interview about its intellectual property security.
A lawyer specialising in intellectual property Virginia Nichols said the Deloitte review showed the problems that could arise from not managing or controlling contractors properly.
“Particularly in a section of Government that is working innovatively, and generating IP, care should be taken to make sure the terms of each contract are sufficiently robust before work starts, so that ownership of IP is held by the department,” she said.
“Ownership of IP by the Government is not inconsistent with Open Government. It is, in fact, essential to it, because the Government should not release or share what it does not own or control.”
Mike May 30, 2020 at 7:26 pm

TDB is naked as there is no defense any more for Jacinda Dear, traitor of beneficiaries.
- Sam May 30, 2020 at 7:42 pm
  
  Fight me
  - Mike May 30, 2020 at 8:48 pm
    
    How? You cannot fight.
    - Greywarbler May 30, 2020 at 9:22 pm
      
      Neither can you Mike. The trouble is that PM Ardern and cohort are the only game in town that will do anything for beneficiaries.
      
      And feel sorry for the rightwing – the neolib virus has very long-lasting effects that are congenital. Your soul shrivels up and you get nervous tics, touching your face and hair and needing to hold something in your hand for security at all times – a smartphone or a credit card fills the need.
    - Sam May 30, 2020 at 9:24 pm
      
      You gutless scum. I take offence at you calling TDB traitors because I enjoy the TDB so much you may as well be calling me traitor. I want you to take me through it, how am I a god dam traitor? Tell me now so I can embarrasse you.
      - Mike May 31, 2020 at 9:18 pm
        
        I meant Jacinda, you fool. I tickle you with a feather.
        
        Sam May 31, 2020 at 9:26 pm
        
        You are trolling and spreading misinformation about Jacinda and now you are backing away from accusing TDB of being co conspirators of Jacinda’s traitorous ways. You are just making stuff up in your head I thinking it’s real. Base benefits are up, winter energy payment is in, rental controls are in. And you’re still complaining.
        
        Mike June 1, 2020 at 12:47 am
        
        Base benefits are up, those getting TAS or SB get that cut instead!
Marc May 30, 2020 at 8:47 pm

Study this, highly worrying, also watch the Listening Post on Al Jazeera English:

https://www.thecanary.co/discovery/2020/04/26/the-governments-scientific-advisory-group-attendee-is-linked-to-a-spy-agency-contractor/

Palantir and Peter Thiel, and the NZ government appears to work with them also.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/414923/controversial-tech-firm-palantir-had-talks-with-govt-on-covid-19

Data mining, already happening at the NHS.