Fletcher drops a clanger | The Jackal

9 Apr 2013

Fletcher drops a clanger

Tonight, the head of the GCSB, Ian Fletcher, said on Campbell Live that they simply didn't understand the Government Communications Security Bureau Act 2003 (PDF), and that's why they have undertaken illegal spying on New Zealand citizens... WTF!

Here's the particular part of the Act he's referring to:

Restrictions imposed on interceptions

14 Interceptions not to target domestic communications

Neither the Director, nor an employee of the Bureau, nor a person acting on behalf of the Bureau may authorise or take any action for the purpose of intercepting the communications of a person (not being a foreign organisation or a foreign person) who is a New Zealand citizen or a permanent resident.

How is that sentence hard to understand?

Clearly this is just pathetic spin to try and shift the conversation away from culpability to one of changing a few laws... Let's hope the public doesn't buy such obvious bullshit!