New Zealand Spy Agency Deleted Evidence About Its Illegal Spying On Kim Dotcom
from the oops dept
I have to admit that I'm consistently amazed at just how badly law enforcement in both the US and New Zealand appeared to screw up the raid and the case against Kim Dotcom. I've said it a few times before, but it really feels like authorities in both places actually believed the bogus Hollywood hype being spread by the MPAA about how Dotcom was really a James Bondian-villain, and acted accordingly, while ignoring any evidence to the contrary. As you know by now, the New Zealand equivalent of the NSA, the GCSB, illegally spied on Kim Dotcom and other New Zealand residents and citizens -- and the New Zealand government then decided to try to hide that. While the police agreed that the spying was illegal, they declined to do anything about it, so Dotcom sued the government himself.The latest news in this: GCSB appears to have deleted key evidence in the case in a hamfisted attempt to cover up its illegal activities. Even more ridiculous, GCSB is trying to cover this up by claiming that the material had "aged off" -- implying that it was deleted automatically. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key claims that they had to delete the information under the law.
Of course, there are a few problems with that. The first is that under New Zealand law, like most countries these days, parties have an obligation to preserve documents likely to be necessary in a legal case. But, even more damning is that there's video of John Key in the New Zealand Parliament trying to defend against an earlier claim that GCSB had deleted some evidence by insisting that GCSB does not delete anything ever:
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Filed Under: destruction of evidence, evidence, gcsb, john key, kim dotcom, new zealand
Companies: megaupload
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Quite the list of liars! They should be ashamed, but you'd need a conscious and moral compass to feel that emotion.
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NEWS OF THE HOUR
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question
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Given that the GCSB did that, I'm guessing that either there's something even more damning than anyone guessed, and/or (probably and) that they intend to play something along the lines of the NSA's state secrets game. Namely, lying and denying everything until (and after) confronted with evidence directly opposing their statements.
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The US and NZ should just drop the case against Dotcom
And what do they have to show for it? More and more egg on their face. Seriously, the ratio of headlines where Kim Dotcom makes the US/NZ look like mindless thugs of the MPAA (or at the very least total buffoons) compared to the number of articles that paint Dotcom as an 'evil copyright infringer/counterfeiter/money-launder/whatever they're accusing him of being this week' is so lopsided in Dotcom's favor that it's not even funny.
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Oh, rats! Because though (allegedly) obtained illegally, it's evidence of actual crimes by Kim Dotcom.
Listen, kids: no matter what crimes other people committed (nor all of them since the dawn of time), Dotcom is still guilty of contributory infringement.
Keep perspective, kids: Megaupload is not the leading edge of new content delivery modes, it's just trailing edge of theft from the old producers who are well justified in stomping out piracy. (181 of 195)
09:05:31[k-26-4]
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The Trouble With Lying
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Re: question
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Re: question
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Re: Oh, rats! Because though (allegedly) obtained illegally, it's evidence of actual crimes by Kim Dotcom.
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relevant data is archived not deleted "aged off"
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2003/0009/latest/DLM187853.html?search=ta_act_G_ac%40a inf%40anif_an%40bn%40rn_25_a&p=1
This is just another blown up cause to get dotcom back in the headlines.
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Re: Re: question
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Re: Oh, rats! Because though (allegedly) obtained illegally, it's evidence of actual crimes by Kim Dotcom.
He didn't tell anyone to violate copyrights on his site.
He gave the MAFIAA tools to police it themselves.
And it's already been proven that the only case he didn't do this was at the request of the US government themselves.
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When will commentors learn?
Evidence here: "Yet they can't keep from commenting at me"
It's about time people learn to
REPORT OOTB AND EVERYONE WHO RESPONDS TO HIM
Those "conversations" add NOTHING OF VALUE to the site and are DRIVING PEOPLE AWAY FROM TECHDIRT (myself included soon if something isn't done to reign in this nuisance)
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Re: When will commentors learn?
When will commentors learn?
How long is it going to take for everyone who comments here to learn that by responding to OOTB that you're GIVING HIM EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS: attention!
"Evidence here: "Yet they can't keep from commenting at me"
It's about time people learn to
REPORT OOTB AND EVERYONE WHO RESPONDS TO HIM
Those "conversations" add NOTHING OF VALUE to the site and are DRIVING PEOPLE AWAY FROM TECHDIRT (myself included soon if something isn't done to reign in this nuisance)"
This comment added NOTHING OF VALUE to the site "off with his head"
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Re: When will commentors learn? -- "if something isn't done to reign in this nuisance"?
Where the fanboys troll the site with vulgar ad hom, and call anyone disagreeing "trolls"! (7 of 195)
09:44:56[k-937-2]
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Re: Re: When will commentors learn?
oshi
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We dont delete things...
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Re:
Otherwise known as "Saturday at the GCSB".
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i still remember where a NZ politician was speaking in parliament prior to voting in favour of a bill to make downloading music illegal. she was of the opinion that it was different and ok to do the downloading when SHE was sharing 'with a few friends' (which is exactly what 99.9% of people want to be able to do) but had to stop everyone else from doing the same!! even worse than others, or so it seems, these NZ politicians!
i'm waiting for the headlines to appear of how Dotcom has been killed in an 'accident caused by car brake failure' or similar. there's too many big names going to get badly burnt here and they are not gonna let it happen if they can help it!
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Re: Re: Oh, rats! Because though (allegedly) obtained illegally, it's evidence of actual crimes by Kim Dotcom.
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Re: Re: When will commentors learn?
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Re: The US and NZ should just drop the case against Dotcom
If they drop the case now, they leave themselves open for false actions that have resulted in financial disaster for Kim and he has the right to go after them to make him whole again.
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Hello, me: you've been censored again for complaining about censoring! They're on a real kick today!
identicon
out_of_the_blue, Feb 4th, 2014 @ 1:45pm
Re: When will commentors learn? -- "if something isn't done to reign in this nuisance"?
No, that's not censorship, 'cause YOU are teh High Arbiter of teh internets.
Where the fanboys troll the site with vulgar ad hom, and call anyone disagreeing "trolls"! (7 of 195)
09:44:56[k-937-2]
Insanity is doing same thing and expecting different results. You kids keep using same stupid tactics that I've worked around -- besides YOU are ruining this fine site -- and don't seem able to change.
Hell, there's even yet another attempt to organize censorship:
"REPORT OOTB AND EVERYONE WHO RESPONDS TO HIM"
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140204/07522126085/new-zealand-spy-agency-deleted-evidence-about- its-illegal-spying-kim-dotcom.shtml#c341
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Re: Re: Re: When will commentors learn?
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Re: Oh, rats! Because though (allegedly) obtained illegally, it's evidence of actual crimes by Kim Dotcom.
That official abuse everyday
Is far more serious
And deleterious
Than taking a movie with no pay
In plain English - there are some very serious reasons why illegally gathered evidence is thrown out, and it's because it's considered far more grave to the health of our society for law enforcement to abuse their power than catching even the most deadly of criminals.
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Re: Hello, me: you've been censored again for complaining about censoring! They're on a real kick today!
Are your past comments quite spurious?
As you rant and you rave
And you feel oh so brave
Because Google makes you furious?
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Kim Dotcom is suing for $6 Million. In NZ you can sue for recompense and/or exemplary damages (that is an amount set to punish the guilty).
I believe Dotcom is currently claiming $6 Million loss and recompense - that seems improbable given his greater loss was incurred at the hands of U.S authorities destruction of servers outside of NZ's jurisdiction.
He may have a better shot at exemplary damages (punishing the government for the illegal actions of it's agencies) but that also seems unlikely with too much secret squirrel nonsense being leveraged against him.
The GCSB is claiming it ages out source material automatically (such as raw intercepts) unless it is purposefully retained as part of an investigation. Mr Key will say the material he spoke of archiving was not that raw material but documentation regarding actual investigations.
That could be true but all it highlights is how poor over-sight and knowledge of the behaviour of spies and spooks is revealing the very problematic issues with their even existing in the first place and the very real issues with badly written legislation designed to protect government and it's agencies from accountability.
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start a multi million dollar business, entice squat to bang in your door, take them into a million dollar court, and tell truthfull things about the governments behaviour
And here i thought it was gonna be difficult!
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Re: Oh, rats! Because though (allegedly) obtained illegally, it's evidence of actual crimes by Kim Dotcom.
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Who hated the process of due
Each product he'd paid
Was DMCAed
And shoved up his ass with a screw
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Re: Re: Oh, rats! Because though (allegedly) obtained illegally, it's evidence of actual crimes by Kim Dotcom.
its, um, a, um, sekret kourt ! ! !
(so sekret it exists in one mind on the planet ! ! !)
but, seriously, because, um, its DOTCOM, for dog's sake !
isn't that enough ?
and, um, well, he's fat, too, so, that must mean he's guilty...
um, and, he, like, um, flaunts his nouveau riches, which really irks old riches, um, so there's that...
and, um, OH YEAH! something something filehosting = piracy ! ! !
so, yeah, obviously guilty, off with his head ! ! !
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Re: Re: Hello, me: you've been censored again for complaining about censoring! They're on a real kick today!
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What are the odds that... ?
Wouldn't it be fantastic if Snowden's trove contained this and Greenwall et al once again proved them to all be lying two faced bastards who break the law for their own ends
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They don't win either way.
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Re: Re: Re: Hello, me: you've been censored again for complaining about censoring! They're on a real kick today!
A couple days back I just got tired of some AC comment or other, and decided rather than to just ignore it, to respond in the form of a limerick.
And, unfortunately, responding in the form of limericks is kind of addictive, so I find myself doing it more and more.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello, me: you've been censored again for complaining about censoring! They're on a real kick today!
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140131/16224426064/dr-matthew-rimmer-takes-closer-look- fair-use.shtml#c660
So, well, I decided to demonstrate. And, since the limerick is a nice traditional poetic way to poke fun at someone...
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140131/16224426064/dr-matthew-rimmer-takes-closer-look- fair-use.shtml#c786
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Oops.
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Let's face it, the number of Dem faces with egg on is a gift to the Reps, but will they make the most of it, even for a "Look over there!" over surveillance?
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello, me: you've been censored again for complaining about censoring! They're on a real kick today!
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Re: When will commentors learn?
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Repeat after me...
NSA: "I am not a crook!"
GCSB: "I am not a crook!"
GCHQ: "I am not a crook!"
All Together Now!!! "I am not a crook!"
Next meeting of the Richard M. Nixon Fan Club coming soon!
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Re: Re: When will commentors learn?
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Hello, me: you've been censored again for complaining about censoring! They're on a real kick today!
as so many here are prone to do
for him it is feed
that is their need
really, trolls have nothing on you
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Kim Dotcom
(S//REL) The most recent development in the Dotcom litigation: the plaintiffs (Dotcom) have agreed to separate the GCSB case from the NZ Police case. NSA general counsel is working with GCSB’s chief legal advisor to understand any impact on NSA equities.
It seems relevant in light of https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140204/07522126085/new-zealand-spy-agency-deleted-evidence-about -its-illegal-spying-kim-dotcom.shtml#addyourcomment and http://www.itnews.com.au/News/354407,nz-police-affidavits-show-use-of-prism-for-surveillance.aspx
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