Archive
I spy with my multitude of Eyes
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Several pieces of legislation enacted under the previous government saw a vast increase in State surveillance. The GCSB – first created in 1977 by former National PM, Robert Muldoon, – was initially set up to provide overseas surveillance during the Cold War era.
By May 2013, the powers of the GCSB were extended to permit domestic surveillance of New Zealanders by former National PM, John Key.
A variety of state “security” and extensions of surveillance powers have been enacted over the past sixteen years;
Labour:
National:
Search and Surveillance Act 2012
Countering Terrorist Fighters Legislation Bill (aka Customs and Excise Amendment Act 2014)
Not to be outdone, the private sector also dabbles with surveillance. On most occassions, that surveillance is subtle.
In other instances, it is overt and in-your-face.
An example of this is the recently (and currently on-going) re-developement at Kilbirnie Pak N Save supermarket in Wellington’s Eastern suburb. The store’s internal up-grade has included the sprouting of dozens of security cameras. In some areas, the high-security of CCTV cameras, descending from the ceiling on poles – eerily like some mutant upside-down mushroom – would be more appropriate for a top secret military installation.
Upon entering the store, the first camera is apparent;
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Foyer at Kilbirnie Pak N Save
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Walking through the turn-styles, into the first part of the super-market – more cameras;
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The Fruit & Vege section;
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Meats…
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Chilled goods, heading toward the Deli and Bakery;
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The Bakery section…
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Down the side of the building (greeting cards, breads, et al)…
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And a close-up of the all-seeing eyes…
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Until we reach the check-out – and the ubiquitous cameras become a parody of surveillance as their numbers become apparent;
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In case the reader has difficulty making out the individual cameras, they are highlighted here;
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Even banks don’t have as many cameras.
In an age of tracking by online corporations like Google and Facebook; by the apps in our smartphones; by CCTVs in buildings, streets, offices, etc – we have reached a surveillance state far surpassing anything envisioned by George Orwell.
Some of us will recall the days of the friendly corner grocer;
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Acknowledgement: Wairarapa Times-Age
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Once upon a time, retailers functioned with not a camera in sight;
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Acknowledgement: NZ Herald
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Those days now seem long gone.
Perhaps this is the price of “progress”?
Ironically, the advent of the Surveillance State and Surveilled Society has been long foreseen by academics, writers, activists, etc. As surveillance increased – both State and commercial – the public became more and more inured to every-present prying eyes.
The constant warnings of encroachments into our privacy; against increasing State power; alerting us to the perils of Big Data held by offshore (and domestic) corporations have become a Cry Wolf! to most of the public. Unless you are a left-wing blogger or investigative journalist who become an irritant to The Established Order, the public perceive no threat to their glacial erosion of our privacy.
Couched in terms of “preserving law and order” and/or “fighting terrorism”, people will think little of our own country as a Surveilled Society. Especially if they perceive no “down side” to their personal liberty. Previous warnings of a Big Brother State have – apparently – not become reality.
Like the frog-in-the-pan-of-heating-water fable, fears gradually gave way to blasé acceptance. We have arrived to a society where the presence of literally dozens of overhead surveillance cameras in a supermarket now barely raises an eyebrow.
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References
Wikipedia: GCSB – History
Parliament: Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Amendment Bill
Wairarapa Times-Age: First class First St grocer
NZ Herald: (story removed from website)
NZ Law Society: Privacy Commissioner issues guidance on personal information and transparency reporting
Fairfax media: Police apologise to Nicky Hager over Dirty Politics raid as part of settlement
Previous related blogposts
Surveillance laws, Strikebreaking, & Subversive groups
2013 – The Year We Became a Policed Surveillance State
The Growth of State Power; mass surveillance; and it’s supporters
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This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 9 September 2018.
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Nothing to hide, eh?
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From today’s Fairfax report on the visit of world-renowned investigative journalist, Glenn Greenwald, and Key’s abuse thrown at the man, there were 712 comments posted, before Fairfax closed posting.
A few of the comments were by John Key’s fanboys, like this muppet;
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Who noticed something laughable about Mark000007‘s post?
Check out his first two sentences,
“I really wouldn’t care if the government is ‘spying’ on me, I’ve got nothing to hide”
Nothing to hide, eh?
I wonder if that’s why he uses a pseudonym?
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References
Fairfax media: Key dismisses GCSB spying claims from Greenwald
Previous related blogposts
The Growth of State Power; mass surveillance; and it’s supporters
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Above image acknowledgment: Francis Owen/Lurch Left Memes
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The Growth of State Power; mass surveillance; and it’s supporters…
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Next time there’s a debate on state surveillance on an internet blog or other forum, check out who is supporting more power for governments to spy on us. Have a look at those who parrot the cliche, “nothing to hide, nothing to fear”.
They generally use pseudonyms.
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Radio NZ: Politics with Matthew Hooton and Mike Williams
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– Politics on Nine To Noon –
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– Monday 5 August 2013 –
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– Kathryn Ryan, with Matthew Hooton & Mike Williams –
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Today on Politics on Nine To Noon,
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Click to Listen: Politics with Matthew Hooton and Mike Williams (27′ 40″ )
- Discuss the current Fonterra food safety scare;
- the continuing scandal surrounding the GCSB emails;
- Labour’s affordable housing policy,
- and recent positive poll results.
Acknowledgement: Radio NZ
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Parliamentary spies and games – some bad numbers
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The latest revelations add more murkiness to this scandal. It seems that my question here – How deep is Key in this mess? – is slowly being answered. (Expect a snap election when the full extent of Key’s involvement is finally revealed.)
The revelations of shady dealings and privacy violations just keep getting worse;
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Source: Fairfax Media – Emails given to inquiry
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Interestingly, a Fairfax poll associated with the above story (note: not scientific) contradicts a recent Roy Morgan poll, showing Dear Leader in a somewhat bad light,
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Source: IBID
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But what really boggles the mind and makes you want to scream to the heavens is that Peter Dunne – whose email and telephone records were illegally passed on to the Henry Inquiry, by Parliamentary Services, and has had his privacy violated – is still intending to vote for the Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Amendment Bill and Telecommunications (Interception Capability and Security) Amendment Bill – which will allow the GCSB, SIS, et al to spy on all New Zealanders.
Peter Dunne is not learning a single damn thing from his current situation.
Which makes Dunne’s outrage on this derisable,
“While I understand this was an inadvertent action, and that the file was returned within a very short period of time to Parliamentary Services, this is a serious breach of privacy.
No approval had been given or even sought for access to this material .
The material was released to the inquiry on 21 May – the day before Mr Henry asked for access to my emails, which I refused.
While I am further given to understand that the file was unable to be opened by the inquiry and have been assured therefore that none of the emails were actually read by the inquiry, I am nonetheless extremely concerned and angry about this gross, unauthorised breach of personal privacy, especially since it was my refusal to authorise access to the content of those emails that brought about my resignation as a minister,”
Source: IBID
Cry to someone who cares, Mr Dunne.
To be blunt; why the hell should I be concerned about the invasion of Peter Dunne’s privacy, when he is obviously not in the least concerned about ours?!
As far as I’m concerned, Karma has visited upon Peter Dunne’s head.
The sooner Ohariu voters throw this clown out of Parliament, the better for the whole country.
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Babes and boofheads…
It seems that the sexualisation and exploitation of our daughters continues unabated,
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Acknowledgement: Radio NZ – Facebook ‘Babe’ page taken down
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A bunch of anonymous kids say “they don’t see much wrong” with taking images of girls from various Facebook pages, and reposting it on a sleazy ‘Babe of the Day’ page.
‘‘I and the other two admins of the page are aware that the page may look a bit creepy but as all three of us are high school students and under 18 ourselves, we don’t think we are doing too much harm.”‘
Acknowledgement: ODT – Concern at pupils ‘babe’ web page
These kids did not ask for permission to use the girls’ pics – there is no consent implied or given. And the kids responsible for the page seem utterly oblivious to a practice which objectifies these girls.
If I were a father with a daughter, and her pic had been lifted and exploited in this way, I would take a dim view of a bunch of adolescent boofheads portraying my daughter(s) as objects for someone elses’ gratification.
Our society is sex mad already enough already, without Gen X (or Y or whatever) adding their bit to it.
And the irony of this entire sleazy affair?
One of the administrators of the site, who wished to remain anonymous, defended the page when contacted yesterday.
Acknowledgement: IBID
“The administrators of the site, who wished to remain anonymous…”
So they value their anonymity, do they?
I wonder why? If their little past-time is as inoffensive as they believe, why don’t they come forward?
And put their own pics up for people to gawk at?
It appears they value their own privacy.
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It is 1984. It is ALWAYS 1984…
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First, the Labour government introduced the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002. This law could outlaw an organisation and declare them a “terrorist groups”.
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Some see Greenpeace as a terrorist organisation.
Ten years later, and National enacted the Search and Surveillance Act 2012. This law allowed the Police to search or keep citizens under surveillance, without a warrant. The Police simply had to show it was an “emergency”.
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This law allows Police to keep someone under surveillance and search their home if they are a political dissident/protestor.
Or maybe I’m being overly dramatic?
After all, Police wouldn’t be interested in people exercising their democratic right to protest.
Right?
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Eventually, though, the gradual demise of our privacy impacts on all of us. Even for those within the Establishment, who originally thought it was a good idea.
After all, if you’ve done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear.
Right?
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As mainstream media focus and reports endless stories about crime and violence, society becomes more frightened of bogeymen just around the corner; or lurking behind bushes; or following us.
So we welcome any and all laws that successive governments give to the Police because, like children, we’re afraid of the bogeymen that the media tells us is waiting… just around the corner, or behind bushes.
Yes, crime does exist. Meteorites falling out of the sky also exist. Lotto winners exist.
So what are your chances of experiencing all three?
The way the media constantly fixates on crime – you’d think it could happen to you tomorrow.
The government could pass new laws every day of the week. Crime, however, will not go away. You probably will not be a victim tomorrow. Society will not be any more or less be any safer.
After all these laws – is it any more or less safer now?
Is the bogeyman real? Yes, he probably is.
But not today. And not tomorrow. Perhaps, for you, not ever.
But your loss of privacy is with you always.
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National Party president complains of covert filming – oh the rich irony!
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Oh dear, oh dear me. Karma is working overtime this year – and has National politicians and Party apparatchiks firmly in it’s sights.
National Party president Peter Goodfellow complains of having been the victim of “covert video surveillance”?!?!
But wait – isn’t this precisely what National intended last year when they passed the odious Search and Surveillance Act 2012?!
The NZ Herald – no “lefty” newspaper – condemned the Bill on 21 September 2011, when it was still in passing through Parliament,
“The new search and surveillance bill, which has been on Parliament’s books for two years, acknowledges this by providing for secret filming on private property in serious cases, including arms offences.
But the Government has been in no hurry to pass it, a fact criticised in the Supreme Court judgment. Now, with only two sitting weeks before the general election, time has run out.
If the Government wishes to rush its urgent short-term law through Parliament next week, it needs the Labour Party to agree. However, its leader, Phil Goff, points to the perils inherent in legislation that would apply retrospectively, so filmed evidence already collected could be used. He wants this new bill to go to a select committee. That is the right course.
In that forum, the Government’s case for urgency would be put under appropriate scrutiny. This would surely conclude that, in the context of sound parliamentary practice and the Supreme Court ruling, this legislation is inappropriate and probably unnecessary.”
As Green MP, David Clendon said on 22 March last year,
“This bill is overwhelmingly negative, in that it clearly seeks to give the widest possible powers to the police, to the Customs Service, to the Department of Internal Affairs, to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and to a whole swathe of other Government officials who hereafter will be enabled to make the most extraordinary intrusions into the private business of New Zealand citizens, who may well simply be going about their legal and honest business.
There is simply no justification for such a wide-ranging, all-encompassing, enabling approach. We simply do not have the political climate or the legal or social context that requires the level of intrusion that this bill will allow. This is far beyond the reasonable needs of the police or any other Government enforcement agency.
The argument that this level of intrusion need concern only criminals, and that honest people may rest assured that their privacy and the integrity of their homes, business, and indeed their person will not be compromised, simply does not wash.”
The National Business Review wasn’t terrible happy either, in this headlined story a day later,
‘Undemocratic’ Search and Surveillance Bill made law
And Taranaki’s Daily News” editorial on 2 October last year was equally critical,
“At the time of the act’s introduction to Parliament in March, Justice Minister Judith Collins defended it on the basis of it bringing “order, certainty, clarity and consistency to messy, unclear and outdated search and surveillance laws”.
She also pointed out that the act draws together, under one statute, the powers that existed under 69 separate laws.
That rationale, which borders on the closest the Government could come up with as an assurance that this was no significant change, more good housekeeping, will reassure no-one.
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Even at this early stage there is a disquiet among many in this country who traditionally are government supporters.”
The Search and Surveillance Act 2012 gave extensive additional powers to the Police and to other State bodies. In many instances, Police may not even have to apply for a warrant to keep you, your family, your friends, under surveillance.
So for Mr Goodfellow to now complain about a breach of his privacy because he was covertly filmed… oh the delicious irony of it!
A private investigator may not be an official arm of the State – but considering that National is only too happy to contract out services – including private prisons and schools – should not escape our notice. A private investigator is only a contract-away from doing the State’s bidding.
Especially under a National regime.
And anyway, what does Mr Goodfellow have to fear if he is being covertly filmed?
As National MP Tim Macindoe said in Parliament on 7 March last year, when the Search and Surveillance Bill was being debated,
“I have to say I do not have a lot of interest in the human rights of those who are not interested in obeying the laws, because quite often they threaten our safety, our security, our homes, our elderly, and the vulnerable in our society.”
Ain’t it a bitch when a government passes authoritarian legislation, extending police powers, and that government’s own Party members get caught up as ‘victims’ of a resulting culture of State intrusion into our private lives?
Welcome to the real world, Mr Goodfellow.
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