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New Zealand Cyber Spies Win New Powers

Posted by timothy on from the mmm-new-powers dept.

caeos writes "New cyber-monitoring measures have been quietly introduced in New Zealand giving police and Security Intelligence Service officers the power to monitor all aspects of someone's online life. The measures are the largest expansion of police and SIS surveillance capabilities for decades, and mean that all mobile calls and texts, email, internet surfing and online shopping, chatting and social networking can be monitored anywhere in New Zealand. The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS or SIS) is an intelligence agency of the New Zealand government."

7 of 132 comments (clear)

  1. Warrants by Nerdfest · · Score: 4, Informative

    At least in New Zealand they still need a warrant.

    1. Re:Warrants by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Indeed they do. This simply extends the existing wire tapping laws to internet/mobile comms

    2. Re:Warrants by wizardforce · · Score: 4, Informative

      In the USA, search and seizure powers were specifically limited by the fourth amendment for among other reasons, reducing the liklihood of fishing expeditions. Here you can't use the power to search something specific eg. someone's car to justify searching someone's house, mail etc. as well.

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      Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
  2. Re:NZIS? by wizardforce · · Score: 3, Informative

    Considering that the operations in Iraq were once referred to as Operation Iraqi Liberation, it shouldn't surprise you that another government put minimal thought into the naming process for its new surveillance program.

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    Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
  3. Re:At least they don't have secret police by Trepidity · · Score: 2, Informative

    A more reasonable take is here. Especially since The Volokh Conspiracy is a conservative-leaning libertarian blog, staffed mainly by law professors, that generally dislikes Obama, I'm going to suspect they have a better take on it. Also, a site mockingly named after a conspiracy is probably better than one like patriotroom.com that is deadly earnest about it.

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    10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
  4. Waihopai spy base probably doing this already by twosat · · Score: 4, Informative

    New Zealand also has a major satellite communications spy base Waihopai, said to be part of ECHELON, a worldwide network of spy stations. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GCSB_Waihopai

  5. Re:Good grief. by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you're snooping with plans to present it IN COURT, you'll still need permission.

    Time and time again, the courts have accepted evidence that was improperly collected, with a "don't do it again, wink, wink, nod, nod..."

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