Posts Tagged ‘Surveillance state’

Be afraid!

Written By: - Date published: 8:24 am, November 4th, 2016 - 19 comments

Reports of an unconvincing “domestic terrorism” plot, and of further illegal GCSB spying.

NRT: Bill English wants to end your privacy

Written By: - Date published: 7:11 am, April 22nd, 2016 - 85 comments

I/S at No Right Turn the “data supermarket” and privacy concerns. “The government wants to be able to effectively spy on and database everyone, so they can save a few dollars here and there.”

New report on GCSB spying powers

Written By: - Date published: 2:19 pm, March 9th, 2016 - 28 comments

A Government-ordered review of NZ’s spy agencies has just been released. Key wants Labour’s support for increased power to spy on Kiwis.

Paris as an excuse for more useless surveillance

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, November 17th, 2015 - 67 comments

The Paris attacks are being used as an excuse for another ill informed debate about surveillance and encryption – which doesn’t address the communication channels that terrorists are actually using. The tools that our governments want can be used very effectively to spy on you and me though (as Key effectively acknowledges in passing).

NRT: Rubberstamping surveillance

Written By: - Date published: 3:11 pm, June 3rd, 2015 - 6 comments

I/S at No Right Turn on the “poor job the courts are doing of overseeing surveillance”.

The Ferguson interview

Written By: - Date published: 11:39 am, March 6th, 2015 - 51 comments

An extraordinary interview with former director of the GCSB Sir Bruce Ferguson on RNZ this morning. He confirms that NZ is conducing mass surveillance. (Any help with transcription?)

The mathematics of surveillance

Written By: - Date published: 10:30 am, January 22nd, 2015 - 30 comments

Mass surveillance cannot accomplish its stated goals, and it’s likely that many within the security / government system understand this full well.

NRT: GCHQ spies on journalists

Written By: - Date published: 4:30 pm, January 20th, 2015 - 7 comments

I/S – “GCHQ considers investigative journalists a “security threat” alongside hackers and terrorists”…

Charlie Hebdo: ‘… and not give in to fear’

Written By: - Date published: 7:30 am, January 8th, 2015 - 596 comments

It is a shocking story to wake up to. A murderous act in a beautiful city.  Condolences to those close to the people who were killed, and to the people of Paris and France.  It is not a justification for the anti-democratic, invasive extensions to the surveillance state.

Free speech and surveillance online

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, January 7th, 2015 - 46 comments

A long, fascinating piece by Glenn Greenwald on The Intercept this morning.

Reds under the beds

Written By: - Date published: 8:17 am, November 6th, 2014 - 82 comments

Governments have always used external threats (real or not) to expand their powers. Supposedly “small government” types seem the most keen to grab more powers, for some strange reason.

Turei for peace & freedom: rejects politics of fear

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, November 5th, 2014 - 102 comments

Metiria Turei delivered a very strong speech in response to Key’s ministerial statement on national security.  I give her a standing ovation! Update #1: link to video of Turei’s speech. #2 -YT video Turei’s speech.  Link to Kennedy Garham’s speech

Surveillance in Australia

Written By: - Date published: 8:35 am, September 28th, 2014 - 51 comments

Latest developments in Australia are relevant in the context of the recent focus on surveillance in NZ. What are the odds that the Nats will pass similar laws here during their current term?

Digital speed cameras & mass surveillance

Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, June 6th, 2014 - 30 comments

The main NZ news outlets are reporting on the new digital speed cameras about to be progressively installed around the country.  They fail to report on the potential of the cameras to be used for mass surveillance.

The smoke & mirrors of the surveillance-military-economic-complex

Written By: - Date published: 2:22 pm, May 21st, 2014 - 29 comments

There are a range of issues, which are part of a GCSB-intelligence-surveillance-military-complex. Some significant elements seem to be posing as diversions from other parts of the complex, and the way all parts hang together. What will he offer Obama to advance NZ’s position in the TPPA?

NRT: Blowback

Written By: - Date published: 6:56 pm, March 31st, 2014 - 6 comments

“The vast scale of online surveillance revealed by Edward Snowden is changing how businesses store commercially sensitive data…”  “A survey of 1,000 business leaders from around the world has found that many are questioning their reliance on “cloud computing” in favour of more secure forms of data storage as the whistleblower’s revelations continue to reverberate.”

If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear

Written By: - Date published: 7:34 am, June 26th, 2013 - 91 comments

Yesterday Key actually ran the classic justification for “police state” surveillance: if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. This argument is bollocks. Here’s why…

NSA pwns the internet

Written By: - Date published: 11:03 am, June 7th, 2013 - 74 comments

The NSA has direct access to servers at Google, Apple, Facebook, and other Internet giants, and they collect pretty much whatever data they like. We shouldn’t be surprised. The Guardian has the story.

Meanwhile: US, intellectual property, GCSB

Written By: - Date published: 11:29 am, April 26th, 2013 - 18 comments

In his meetings with Ian Fletcher, Key’s main aims and activities are hidden in plain sight. They connect with US-led initiatives around digital copyright, intellectual property and commerce.  Recently there have been some worrying developments in the bigger picture: GCSB, ACTA, TPPA, SOPA, CISPA.

On the new spy laws

Written By: - Date published: 10:33 am, April 23rd, 2013 - 27 comments

An Otago University academic and expert on computer security speaks out about the proposed new spy laws: “Surveilling the innocent – is that what we do to protect anyone or is that what we do in totalitarian society?”…

Politics & Pleasure: TV 2012

Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, December 31st, 2012 - 32 comments

We tend to rework reality, included political knowledge and understanding, into a basic (fictionalised) story structure, with villains, heroes, and values absorbed from pleasurable forms of fiction, including TV.  This is a look at the political values embedded in some popular TV dramas.

Guilty until proven innocent

Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, November 7th, 2009 - 9 comments

We are continuing our chilling progress towards a surveillance state. The Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 is another brick in the wall. Apparently this act reverses the fundamental presumption of innocence with respect to assets (possessions, wealth). If the police decide that your possessions were gained via “significant criminal activity” you are guilty unless you […]

Chilling

Written By: - Date published: 9:39 am, November 5th, 2009 - 39 comments

The Search and Surveillance Bill is making its way though the bowels of the government law making process. This is a terrible law, described by the Human Rights Commissioner as “disproportionately invasive” and “chilling“: Sweeping powers to spy, bug conversations and hack into private computers could be given to a web of state agencies as […]

Surveillance state

Written By: - Date published: 9:26 am, October 16th, 2009 - 22 comments

One of the most dishonest, yet most successful tactics of National in opposition was to rant on and on about the “Nanny state”. Here’s John Key fairly foaming at the mouth: I’ve had nine years of being told what lightbulb I can screw into the house, what shower I can take, what food I can […]

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.