Auckland » New Zealand 911 Truth

Media academic warns over digital surveillance, seeks new ethical model

Auckland, New Zealand, News, Professional Attention 1 Response »

May 062013

http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2013/05/media-academic-warns-over-digital-surveillance-and-calls-for-new-ethical-model/

Media academic warns over digital surveillance, seeks new ethical model
Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Anna Majavu

A leading journalism academic has voiced concern at the high levels of digital surveillance facing journalists today and has urged journalists to adopt a new ethical model of reporting for social good.

Dr Mark Pearson, professor of journalism and social media at Griffith University in Australia and the Australian correspondent for Reporters Without Borders, spoke last night at the inaugural UNESCO World Press Freedom Day 2013 lecture, organised by AUT’s Pacific Media Centre.

The lack of press freedom in the Asia-Pacific region was well documented with media in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Fiji needing government licences to operate, and journalists in Malaysia facing 53-year-old “internal security” laws under which they could be detained for long periods for “prejudicing national security”.

But Professor Pearson said his concerns were not limited to these cases, and that his major worry was the “ever-increasing government regulation of media and social media everywhere”, including the anti-terror laws introduced all over the world since 9/11, modelled on the US Patriot Act.

These laws “typically give intelligence agencies unprecedented powers to monitor the communications of all citizens. There is also an inordinate level of surveillance, logging and tracking technologies in use in the private sector – often held in computer clouds or multinational corporate servers in jurisdictions subject to search and seizure powers of foreign governments” said Dr Pearson.

This had disturbing implications for journalists’ protection of their confidential sources, especially if these sources were government or corporate “whistleblowers”, Dr Pearson added.

Investigative reporters today potentially had to contend with geo-locational tracking of their phones and vehicles, tollpoint capture of their motorway entry and exit, easily accessible phone, email and social media records, CCTV in private and public places, and facial recognition in other people’s images, perhaps posted to Facebook.

More here

Super-cyber security NZ-UK alliance

Afghanistan, Auckland, Iran, Middle East, New Zealand, News, The Official Conspiracy Theory No Responses »

Jan 152013

http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/digital-living/8180398/Super-cyber-security-NZ-UK-alliance

Britain and New Zealand are creating an alliance to defend the internet and cyberspace, the two countries foreign ministers announced in Auckland today.

“We will work closely together, and with our key allies to coordinate responses to incidents affecting our government and private sector networks,” Foreign Minister Murray McCully and British Foreign Secretary William Hague told a joint press conference.

McCully said it was the first time ever that the same British foreign secretary had made two visits to New Zealand, while Hague said he was going to Christchurch tomorrow to visit the “red zone” because “that is what friends do”.

Hague touted a new super-cyber security organisation he wants to create known as the Global Cyber Security Capacity Building Centre.

It would look at using skills internationally with the two men stressing that their governments had agreed to work closely, and with allies, on developing a vision for the future security of cyberspace, which they termed “one of the greatest national, global and strategic challenges of our time”.

Cyber intrusions were an increasing challenge.

“New Zealand and the United Kingdom are already working closely together to confront the growing threats to our cyber security, and it is vital to our wider, shared economic, security and defence interests that we do so.”

The two said they did not under-estimate the challenge of working on an international consensus on how to protect the internet.

They will also “share situational awareness information and intelligence” so both countries can detect and respond to “foreign cyber intrusions on networks of national importance.”

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Stop the War on Gaza – Protest – Auckland New Zealand, Nov 17, 2012 – VIDEO

Auckland, Israel, New Zealand, News 2 Responses »

Nov 182012

US prepared to do "whatever we can" to help NZ - Panetta

Auckland, New Zealand, News, United States 2 Responses »

Sep 232012

Published: 11:14AM Sunday September 23, 2012 Source: ONE News

US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says the United States will go to great lengths to help New Zealand expand its capabilities and security to build a friendship between the nations.

Panetta spent two days in New Zealand this week for military co-operation talks between the two countries in what is the first visit from the Secretary of Defense since 1982.

During his visit, Panetta announced the US would lift its 27-year ban on Kiwi ships visiting US military ports – in place since the New Zealand Government banned nuclear warships from its waters in 1985.

In an exclusive interview with TV ONE’s Q+A programme, Panetta said he hoped the US could provide assistance and expertise so New Zealand could not only provide security for the region, but help the US provide security for the Asia-Pacific region.

“We have fought together and bled together.

“My approach to this is, as Secretary of Defense, [the US will do] whatever we can do to try and help New Zealand develop its capabilities and build a strong friendship.”

Panetta said he hoped that allowing New Zealand ships to enter into US ports would enable the two countries to engage with each other.

“Getting rid of some of the silly limitations that were in place is a real step in the right direction, and I can only see the relationship getting better from this point on.”

Panetta said the US faced issues in how to incorporate growing super powers such as India, Brazil and especially China into the “international family” as opposed to being outliers.

“The message I delivered to China is not to contain china, it’s to engage China in a broader role in terms of dealing with the Pacific.”

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New Zealand Troops Withdrawing from Afghan Early - Evelyn

Auckland, New Zealand, News No Responses »

Sep 042012

If you haven’t done so yet subscribe to Evelyn’s excellent blog
http://aotearoaawiderperspective.wordpress.com -

10 DEATHS TOO MANY – TROOPS OUT NOW! RALLY SUNDAY, 12 NOON, 204 GREAT NORTH RD

Auckland, Justifying War, New Zealand 2 Responses »

Aug 232012

10 years too long – 10 deaths too many – Bring New Zealand troops home from Afghanistan

Global Peace and Justice Auckland is organising a protest outside the Defence Force Army Centre at 204 Great North Road, Grey Lynn from 12 noon this Sunday 26th August to call for New Zealand troops to be brought home from Afghanistan where five have been killed in the past three weeks for no material purpose.

From GPJA’s point of view New Zealand should never have gone there in the first place. The Prime Minister’s comments that New Zealanders don’t just “cut and run” at signs of trouble is made to sound good but it’s not Key whose life is on the line.

“John Key prefers to risk young New Zealanders lives rather than risk personal embarrassment to himself if our troops come home earlier than the US wants.”

Such a withdrawal would be a recognition that there is no sensible or logical reason for our troops to be in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is our longest ever deployment of troops overseas and despite the official cover story our soldiers are propping up a woman-hating, medieval regime of warlords and drug barons. We are there because the US wants us there. Most Afghanis want us gone.

GPJA will be inviting political parties to send representatives to speak at the protest.

John Minto – 0220850161 or (09) 8463173

Mike Treen – 0295254744

Australia offers NZ soldiers $250k to swap armies

Auckland, Australia, Justifying War, Mass Media, New Zealand No Responses »

Jun 122012

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/employment/news/article.cfm?c_id=11&objectid=10812382

By Kurt Bayer
Tuesday Jun 12, 2012

Kiwi soldiers are being head-hunted to join the Australian Army with $250,000 cash bonuses.

The hired guns are getting the lucrative sign-on fee, as well as fast-tracked citizenship, in a bid to boost Australia’s military ranks.

But the move to recruit foreign “mercenaries” from New Zealand – and other countries including America, Germany, South Africa, Poland and Singapore – has angered veterans’ groups across the Ditch.

Read article here

Urewera Trial Sentencing

Auckland, Fear of Terrorism, New Zealand No Responses »

May 242012

October 15th Solidarity Group on Sentencing
Thursday, 24 May 2012, 12:53 pm
Press Release: Solidarity On Sentencing

“{The sentences of 2.5 years for Taame Iti and Rangi Kemara are manifestly unjust. This is an outrage. The sentences of Urs Signer and Emily Bailey are equally absurd. The judge sought to retry the entire case at sentencing today and himself decided their fate. It is an outrage.”

“Our four friends may have been sentenced today but it is far from over,” said Valerie Morse from the October 15th Solidarity Group. “We will continue to fight for and support these people until justice is done and all the charges are dropped.”

It has been nearly five years since Operation 8 came to light and the process and punishment continues and is not forgotten.

“These people have been sentenced on charges that were dropped against 13 other people last year. The Supreme Court ruled that the only serious offending was that committed by the police and the Arms Act offences should not have even been pursued.”

Read more about the Sentencing and the trial here

Urewera Trial: No Verdict on 'Criminal Group' Charge

Auckland, Fear of Terrorism, New Zealand No Responses »

Mar 212012

Tuesday, 20 March 2012, 5:54 pm
Article: Scoop News

Urewera Trial: No Verdict on ‘Criminal Group’ Charge

The jury in the Urewera trial has returned.

The jury has been unable to reach a verdict on the first charge of participation in an organised criminal group.

All defendants have been found guilty on some of the remaining charges, which include firearms offences.

The ‘participation’ charge was part of the reason video evidence that was found to be gathered illegally was admissable in the case of the four defendants but not of others, against whom the charges were dropped. Annemarie Thorby, reporting on the trial for Scoop, discussed the nature of the charge here.

More coverage here

Urewera Raids: Operation 8 trial starts today - The Wheels of Justice in New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand, News 1 Response »

Feb 132012

Monday, 13 February 2012, 9:11 am
Article: Annemarie Thorby

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1202/S00073/the-wheels-of-justice-in-new-zealand.htm

After more than four years, the start of the Urewera raids trial will begin on Monday morning in the Auckland High Court. Over four years ago in New Zealand, on October 15th 2007, more than 300 police carried out dawn raids on scores of houses.

That was the day more than 60 homes up and down the country were raided, 17 people arrested and the Tuhoe community of Ruatoki, a small rural town in the Te Urewera region of the Bay of Plenty was locked down

What happens in the Auckland High Court in New Zealand over the next few months will be watched not only by people here, but also the world. Many people believe this case is about the criminalisation of activism, it is about the right of indigenous people to self-determination and it is about the use of legislation introduced in many countries around the world as a knee-jerk reaction to 9/11 – legislation used to silence all forms of dissent. This trial is about justice to right wrongs.

Read full article here

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