Clare
CURRAN
Communications and IT Spokesperson
9 June 2013 MEDIA STATEMENT
US privacy concerns too close to home
Revelations that the US equivalent of the GCSB has been routinely monitoring US citizens phone calls, texts and social
media activity impacts directly on Kiwis, says Labour’s Communications, IT and Open Government spokesperson Clare
Curran.
“The National Government is currently pushing two new laws through Parliament that would give the GCSB and other
agencies here, more powers to spy on Kiwis.
“Submissions on both the Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Bill and the
Telecommunications (Interception Capability and Security) Bill are due next Thursday 13 June.
“That’s not enough time for New Zealanders to consider the implications of both bills. Kiwis care about law changes that
impinge on their civil rights and personal privacy. The deadline for submissions needs to be extended.
“One of the Bills is even being considered behind closed doors, with no public discussion – that’s intolerable.
“Reports say the US National Security Agency (NSA) is collecting metadata on tens of millions of US citizens phone
calls. It has now been confirmed that NSA also uses a program called PRISM to access extensive user content held by
Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple. Although access is targeted at non-US citizens, it includes searches on US
citizens too.
“With the bills before Parliament threatening to offer New Zealand agencies similar powers, people are rightly
concerned.
“The Government can’t steamroll opposition and dismiss proper process on legislation as important as this,” Clare Curran
said.