My morning thoughts on the night before
It will take a flax roots, bottom-up, community-based movement to rebuild democracy and a fair, caring and sustainable society.
activism
Spying
Key’s last fig leaf
Key’s last fig leaf on GCSB surveillance is to plead ignorance. Unfortunately for him the evidence is compelling. If he does manage to lead the next government, these issues will continue to haunt him.
NRT: Key admits the GCSB has broken the law
If the GCSB has access to XKEYSCORE, and XKEYSCORE has information on New Zealanders, then arguably they’ve intercepted it even if that information has been collected by another agency, as they have “acquired” it. And if they actually look at it, there’s no “arguable” about it.
The circle is complete
From “There’s no ambiguity. No middle ground. I’m right. He’s wrong”
to
“[Snowden] may well be right” in just 4 days. Impressive.
Jackal: A conspiracy theory too far
Over the last month John Key has been displaying behaviour of being a raving right wing conspiracy theorist. Over the weekend megalomaniacal John Key even said that he wants the governor general to stage a coup to allow him to remain in power. The Jackal summarises recent nutty right wing conspiracy theories from the PM and others.
A Matter of Simple Logic
One of the few journalists to do his job properly over the course of the dirty politics scandal has been Guyon Espiner. He […]
X-KEYSCORE
Media roundup
NZ Media has got the message, leading with coverage of the Greenwald / Snowden evidence of mass surveillance of New Zealanders, and the surprise revelation of two US “spy bases” in NZ. Best coverage by Andrea Vance. Updated with a link to video of last night’s event.
A brilliant (if flawed) event – Key must resign
From Key we have changing stories, irrelevant distractions and refusal to comment. From Snowden we have compelling first person testimony and supporting documents (uncontested by any other Five Eyes leader). New Zealand is under mass surveillance.
John Key On Trial
The latest instalment in the saga of John Key’s struggle to maintain his image as someone above suspicion has produced the amazing spectacle […]
Key changing his story (again)…
Well well – Mr “No middle ground. I’m right. He’s wrong” is changing his story. He now admits that surveillance did go ahead…
The enablers
Under pressure from Glenn Greenwald’s revelations, John Key, using various smoke screens, is starting to reveal his complicity in working with the GCSB & its 5 Eyes partners, to extend the scope of their spying. Could the Southern Cross Cable Network not have known their systems had been tapped? Update: Statement by Southern Cross Cables
Key’s reputation and the law
An interesting article by lawyer Steven Price at Media Law Journal. Some extracts quoted, but well worth going and reading the full article.
“Moment of Truth” – a key claim
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Glenn Greenwald is standing firm in the face of Key’s attacks and denials. A fascinating interview with Steve Braunias yesterday contains a key claim.
VRWC rises from the grave
They’re at it again. David Farrar has a guest post from fellow VRWC member Charles Finny about FiveEyes, arguing that it’s kept us safe in foreign wars and Labour did it too. Which of course is not the point of the current debate about massive government surveillance of innocent citizens. Farrar then gets himself tangled in knots – if Dotcom is right Labour did it too – but he’s not of course says Farrar.
NRT: “National security” or “National’s security”?
information is supposed to be classified only for valid reasons of national security. The information Key wants to release is likely classified SECRET or TOP SECRET. Its worth remembering that Key and his office are already under investigation by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security for politically-motivated declassification decisions.
“Moment of Truth” – Preview
The positioning re Kim Dotcom’s “Moment of Truth” has started this morning.
The extent of public interest hacking?
Last year, there was a major hack, in which data from some GCSB staff, parliamentary staff, police, & others were copied & stored in various places globally. Surveillance technologies can be used by both state agencies and its critics. Update: Some 2013 history & Anonymous
Why Is John Key Not Compelled to Give Evidence Under Oath?
I have today sent an open letter to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security to ask why Mr Key is not required to attend her inquiry and to give evidence under oath. The letter is attached.
Shadow play: Key’s 2-track politics
Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics tells of the “two track strategy” of John Key’s leadership of the National Party & the country: a smiley nice front, & vicious, covert black ops behind the scenes. Key has overseen one of the darkest, nastiest periods in NZ politics. Vote Left for necessary, democratic change, for people-centred governance.
GCSB, privacy & Facebook messaging
How private are communications on social media platforms such as Facebook? It is claimed that the GCSB law’s definition of “privacy” leaves a loophole for warrantless surveillance of messaging by Kiwis on platforms like Facebook.
Polity: Dirty politics: My 2c
The use of clandestine SIS files as a weapon of partisan politics is needs to be investigated. John Key or his office discovered classified SIS files that were embarrassing to Phil Goff, got them declassified, then immediately told a right-wing blogger to seek those same newly-declassified files under the OIA, all as a means of smearing a political opponent.
Bracing for the book
Nicky Hager has certainly got the attention of political circles in NZ, by announcing his (untitled) book launch today at 5.15pm. J[update: 3 news Livestream of book launch] Update: Title “Dirty Politics” – on attack politics – implicates John key & Slater]
Hager, fear & the surveillance state
Nicky Hager’s latest book will be unveiled tomorrow. I look at his research interests, & his approach to investigative journalism; plus Hager’s speech on the GCSB Bill, & opposition party policies on state surveillance services.
Spread the word: enrol to vote
Live News is reporting that 40,000 people have been removed from the electoral roll because they have moved address. Their enrolment update packs were returned to sender with the message: “gone no address”.
Imperator Fish: Read the law
Imperator Fish discovers that the official legal website for law in NZ has been hacked. The law that the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) used to look at complaints about the interception of communications for Kim DotCom, political parties, and anyone that the police deem as being suspicious was obviously incomplete. So the IPCA used some invisible law in their ruling. Who cares what the real law is anyway?
NRT: GCHQ’s bag of dirty tricks
The UK intelligence agency GCHQ has developed sophisticated tools to manipulate online polls, spam targets with SMS messages, track people by impersonating spammers and monitor social media postings, according to newly-published documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
NRT: Dysfunctional
In short, a report on our intelligence services says that they don’t know what they’re doing, they don’t know why they’re doing it, and they’re not doing it well. NZSIS can’t do its core job – security vetting – in a timely fashion, GCSB can’t even count, and they hate each other. Plus they’ve got poor financial management practices and no idea of how much stuff they own to boot. And then they wonder at the level of public hostility?
NRT: Evidence: The NSA is funding the GCSB
Last week, The Intercept published details on the NSA’s programs with partners to tap international communications cables. Most of the article focused on a program which seems to involve Denmark and Germany, with each helping the NSA to spy on the other. But buried in one of the background documents – the US “black budget” for Foreign Partner Access Project – was this titbit. It turns out that second parties in the five eyes program like the GCSB are funded from the USA. So, “our” spies take foreign money to work for a foreign power.
John Key: a tale of two ‘truths’
John Key claimed he didn’t know about the big shift in the US-NZ surveillance relationship in 2009. Now he claims he always likes to be fully briefed on intelligence matters. Robert David Steele points the way from such anti-democratic governance & misinformation, to an open source everything revolution.
Spy law changes & telcos exposé
Vodafone has made public the extent of the use of spying via their systems, done by state agencies in several countries including NZ. NZ state agencies have revealed the amount of warrants issued prior to the passing of the GCSB and TICS laws late last year.
Digital speed cameras & mass surveillance
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.
Spying on the left: 20th century “dirt files”
Secret files have been released, that document the spying of Labour/left politicians in the early-to-mid 20th century: Savage, Fraser, Nash, Sutch, Sir Dove Meyer Robinson. The NZ establishment has a long history of treating the left as a threat. [Update: “Dunne over” by spy review]
Key-Fletcher nexus: anti-democratic ‘Intelligence communities’
Campbell Live pointed to a massive, integrated shift in NZ governance under John Key’s watch. This enhances the power of international trade and commerce, incorporating the GCSB the US, & 5 Eyes . At the centre of this shift, is the murky relationship between John Key & Ian Fletcher.
The smoke & mirrors of the surveillance-military-economic-complex
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?
Campbell Live: Fletcher, Key, Clapper et al
Campbell Live broadcast a special on the GCSB. It is presented information never before made public. Campbell pointed to how a major shift in NZ and 5 Eyes’ approach to intelligence. Whose interest is the GCSB operating in? Why has John Key mislead us, or at least, fudged the details? Updated.