Scoop Coverage: Snowden, Greenwald, Dotcom, Key - Mass Surveillance In NZThis page is being updated with new information as events unfold. Most recent coverage nearer the top. Check the Scoop front page for the latest.
Some matters relating to the use of intelligence data were raised by Nicky Hager's book Dirty Politics. See Scoop Coverage: Key, Whale Oil, Hager And Dirty Politics.
- Key concedes claim NZ data may be accessible through XKeyscore
- Says NZ contributes some information to Five Eyes databases
- "But not mass, wholesale surveillance as people might say"
- No evidence of mass surveillance, says security chief
- MORE: NZ 'spied on friends for US'
The credibility issues have come down to two main ones:
1. The email This has to do with whether Key knowingly agreed to use our immigration rules as a tool to ensnare and ultimately
extradite Kim Dotcom, and do so largely at the behest of Hollywood’s leading corporates and their best friend in the
White House, vice-President Joseph Biden. Some of the debate in the last few days has turned on the reliability of a
Warners email that seems to set out this plan in black and white. IMO, the email is just the icing on the cake...
2. Mass surveillance Earlier to day I was going to try to explain the difference between what Edward Snowden/Glenn Greenwald were talking
about (ie mass surveillance via the the cable-accessing SPEARGUN programme and the Xkeyscore analytical programme) and
what Key has chosen to talk about instead in order to deliberately distract and confuse the public. Then I found that
Keith Ng had not only beaten me to it, but had done so with beautiful lucidity. More>>
Image by Lyndon Hood regarding 2013 TICS Bill. For background see Gordon Campbell on the final round for the GCSB Bill
“I am only able to comment on specific GCSB activities through my annual and inquiry reports. However, I can advise
that I have not identified any indiscriminate interception of New Zealanders’ data in my work to date. I will continue
to monitor these issues.” More>>
ALSO:TV3 Video - John Key quiet on XKeyscore - Dotcom's failure overshadows spying issues - Controversial XKeyscore 'remarkably easy' - Dotcom's former bodyguard trusts Key - Colin Craig: Public doesn't trust Govt - Peters not telling where NSA bases are
Russell Brown: I was offered an interview with Glenn Greenwald yesterday in the wake of his appearance at the Moment of Truth event.
What follows is the transcript of that interview. It covers both the specifics of what he reported at the event and more
general questions about state intelligence agencies and the practice of doing the kind of journalism he does. More>>
ALSO:Out-Link - Steve Braunias’ Campaign Diary: Day 11 | Metro MagOut-Link - The global surveillance picture show | Overland literary journalBinoy Kampmark - Mass Surveillance in NZ: Tapping the South Cross Sea CableFightback - Mass Surveillance and Resistance - Mass surveillance and sexual violence: Assange and SnowdenWorld Socialist Web Site - Ahead of election, Snowden reveals mass spying in NZMartin Doyle - Martin Doyle Cartoon: Moment of Truth
Scoop Business: Fugitive spying whistleblower Edward Snowden put in an appearance via the internet at tonight’s Internet Party Moment
of Truth event to back up his claims that mass surveillance of New Zealanders is already taking place despite government
denials.
Snowden had earlier posted an article on The Intercept website entitled “New Zealand’s Prime Minister isn’t telling the
truth about mass surveillance”, where he said any statement that mass surveillance isn’t performed in New Zealand, or
that internet communications are not comprehensively intercepted and monitored, is categorically false. More>>
ALSO:Scoop Business - Greenwald posts article on NZ spying allegationsOut-Link - The Intercept - Snowden: New Zealand's Prime Minister Isn't Telling the Truth About Mass Surveillance - New Zealand Launched Mass Surveillance Project While Publicly Denying ItLabour - TVNZ debate must be extended due to spy revelationsGreens - Yes or no John Key – is X-Keyscore spying on New Zealanders?Internet Party - Revelations a Damning Indictment of Key’s HonestyMana Movement - Maori Party – Don’t Complain … Walk - Privileges Complaint Laid against Prime MinisterMaori Party - Māori Party opposes expansion of State’s surveillance powersACT - Why are we letting Dotcom steal our election? - The Letter: Jamie Whyte is going to ParliamentSouthern Cross Cable Network - Claims of cable access total nonsenseTV3 Video - Will the Moment of Truth change anything? - Dotcom's bomb a 'bellyflop' - Sabin - NSA bases could breach NZ sovereignty - expert - 'No doubt' Dotcom's evidence is real - Harre - Video: Moment of Truth - Robert Amsterdam - Dotcom's Moment of Truth 'no king hit' - Discussion needed on mass surveillance AAA panel - Video: Moment of Truth - Laila Harre - Snowden reveals two NSA sites in NZ - Video: Moment of Truth - Julian Assange - Video: Moment of Truth - Glenn Greenwald - Video: Moment of Truth - Edward Snowden - Former GCSB boss denies Snowden's claims - Snowden: 'You are being watched'Radio NZ Out-Links - Former GSCB head on Snowden claims about mass surveillance | Nine To Noon, 9:08 am on 16 September 2014 - John Key speaking on 15 May 2014 - Ex-GCSB director rejects Edward Snowden's claims - Intelligence analyst says mass collection clear - Cunliffe says Key should answer questions before election - Political editor analyses 'the Moment of Truth' - Snowden presents mass surveillance claims - Anti surveillance activists say NZers targeted en masse - Snowden explains how tapping works - Long queues outside Auckland's Town HallOut-Link - Kim Dotcom accuses New Zealand government of mass spying - live updates | World news | theguardian.com
Keith Ng: Glenn Greenwald's material [as opposed to Dotcom's] is solid. He has documents showing the progress of a programme called "SPEARGUN". According to Greenwald, this project
involved the "covert installation of 'cable access' equipment" on the Southern Cross cable (i.e. Tapping into New
Zealand's traffic with the rest of the world). The existence of this capability cannot be denied...
The new documents show that the GCSB had a cable access project underway, followed by another document that Phase 1 was
"achieved". More crucially, he has a message showing... that they had to wait for the GCSB Act to be passed before
SPEARGUN could be used. i.e. The new GCSB Act - the one that supposedly wouldn't expand GCSB powers - expanded GCSB
powers to allow them operate a metadata probe on the this cable which they'd tapped. More>>
ALSO:Out-Link - "Project SPEARGUN underway" • OnPoint • Public AddressOut-Link - Vision and dumbassery • Hard News • Public AddressOut-Link - 'Moment of truth' - do believe the hype | Stuff.co.nzOut-Link - The smoking SPEARGUN | The Dim-PostOut-Link - Whose version of the truth do you believe? - The Wireless - What's the big deal about metadata? - The Wireless
Prime Minister John Key tonight corrected misinformation that has been put in the public domain concerning the
operations of the Government Communications Security Bureau.
“Claims have been made tonight that are simply wrong and that is because they are based on incomplete information,” Mr
Key says.
“There is not, and never has been, a cable access surveillance programme operating in New Zealand.
“There is not, and never has been, mass surveillance of New Zealanders undertaken by the GCSB.
“Regarding XKEYSCORE, we don’t discuss the specific programmes the GCSB may, or may not use, but the GCSB does not
collect mass metadata on New Zealanders, therefore it is clearly not contributing such data to anything or anyone,” Mr
Key says. More>>
ALSO:NZ Govt - Prime Minister responds to alleged emailSouthern Cross Cable Network - Claims of cable access total nonsenseOut-Link - No Right Turn: The Chewbacca defence
nternet entrepreneur Kim DotCom today released a copy of an email purporting to show that John Key was involved in a
plan to get him into New Zealand so he could then be extradited to the United States...
However Warner Bros and the MPAA say the email is a fake... And Mr Key told the Herald he had no recollection or record
of any such a conversation. More>>
ALSO:MANA Movement - Privileges Complaint Laid against Prime Minister
Pre-Reveal
NZ Herald Link: Alleged Email From Hollywood Exec Claims PM In On Plan To Extradite Dotcom - Warner Brothers Issues Denial
From July - Background: Gordon Campbell On The Dotcom Emails
On The Glenn Greenwald Revelations
The problem with Key’s belated plea for trust – and with his claim that Kim Dotcom is the only person here disclosing
information for political purposes – is that Key patently did not behave honestly last year when the GCSB legislation
was being was going through Parliament.
For example: New Zealanders were never told that the GCSB was scoping out a system of mass surveillance, one that had
got to the stage of power points and pdfs and a working relationship with the NSA to enable its implementation... More>>
The New Zealand spy agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), worked in 2012 and 2013 to implement a
mass metadata surveillance system even as top government officials publicly insisted no such program was being planned
and would not be legally permitted. More>>
ALSO:Southern Cross Cable Network - Claims of cable access total nonsense
If you live in New Zealand, you are being watched. At the NSA I routinely came across the communications of New
Zealanders in my work with a mass surveillance tool we share with GCSB, called “XKEYSCORE.” More>>
ALSO:The Nation - Lisa Owen Interviews Glenn Greenwald - Lisa Owen Interviews National Party Leader John Key - Patrick Gower Interviews Labour Leader David Cunliffe - Patrick Gower Interviews Green Party Co-Leader Russel NormanTVNZ - Key "rejected mass surveillance plan" - Q+A: The role of the GCSB and our participation - New Zealand’s participation in Five EyesRadio NZ Out-Links - Glenn Greenwald on extent of GCSB mass surveillance | Nine To Noon - Greenwald on Morning Report - Key - Paul BuchananOut-Link - Spy scandal - what we know and what we don't | Stuff.co.nzOut-Link - Some questions for the PM | Media Law JournalOut-Link - Paul Buchanan on Kiwipolitico » Double Trouble.Out-Link - Keeping up with the rapid story of Glenn Greenwald & NZ spying | Pundit
NZ Govt - PM responds to incorrect surveillance claimsInternet MANA - PM has used his security access to further political interests - Monday a Moment of Truth for Key on Spying, Says HarréGreens - Key politicising security for own political gain - Key wrong to use cyber protection to justify spyingDenis Tegg - Which of Key's many statements will Greenwald challenge?iPredict - iPredict Daily UpdateTV3 Video - Key ready to counter Greenwald revelations - Greenwald: I stand by everything I've said - GCSB spying plan 'ridiculous' - Boag - Key hits back on Greenwald's claims of mass surveillance - Greenwald questions mass surveillance in NZMichael Lett - Simon Denny at The 56th Venice Biennale, 2015Greenpeace NZ - #SafeSource NZ - A secure way to share the truth