Poilce use of social media surveillance tools
Scott made this Official Information request to New Zealand Police
The request was successful.
From: Scott
Dear New Zealand Police,
Hello,
Hope you’re well. This OIA request concerns Police use of social media surveillance tools.
For the avoidance of doubt, by social media surveillance tools I mean specialised programs that facilitate the collection or analysis of social media information. I do not require any information about Police use of non-specialised programs like Google.
I request, dated since April 2019:
- Information about any trials of social media surveillance tools, either proof of concept or operational
- Any Business Case for the procurement of social media surveillance tools
And from any date:
- Any Privacy Impact Assessment related to the use of social media surveillance tools
I would also like to know:
- How Police use the social media surveillance tool Signal. In particular, I would like to know if Police use of Signal has in any way changed since this OIA response (Ref: 16/4806)
https://fyi.org.nz/request/4068/response...
as for instance if the tool is used by different units or for different purposes.
- If Police use the social media surveillance tools of any other companies, besides Signal Corporation, and if so what companies and how are they used
- Information about what the National Intelligence Centre OSINT Team does (or is intended to do), and the size of this team
I am a New Zealand citizen.
Many thanks,
Scott
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe Scott
I acknowledge receipt of your Official Information Act (OIA) request
below, received by NZ Police on 1 March 2021.
Your request is being actioned pursuant to the OIA.
You can expect a response to your request on or before 29 March 2021.
Ngā mihi
Sarah
Ministerial Services
PNHQ
To: "OIA/LGOIMA requests at New Zealand Police"
<[New Zealand Police request email]>
From: "Scott" <[FOI #14794 email]>
Date: 01/03/2021 09:11AM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Official Information request - Poilce use of social
media surveillance tools
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not
click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know
the content is safe.
Dear New Zealand Police,
Hello,
Hope you’re well. This OIA request concerns Police use of social media
surveillance tools.
For the avoidance of doubt, by social media surveillance tools I mean
specialised programs that facilitate the collection or analysis of social
media information. I do not require any information about Police use of
non-specialised programs like Google.
I request, dated since April 2019:
- Information about any trials of social media surveillance tools, either
proof of concept or operational
- Any Business Case for the procurement of social media surveillance tools
And from any date:
- Any Privacy Impact Assessment related to the use of social media
surveillance tools
I would also like to know:
- How Police use the social media surveillance tool Signal. In particular,
I would like to know if Police use of Signal has in any way changed since
this OIA response (Ref: 16/4806)
[1]https://fyi.org.nz/request/4068/response...
as for instance if the tool is used by different units or for different
purposes.
- If Police use the social media surveillance tools of any other
companies, besides Signal Corporation, and if so what companies and how
are they used
- Information about what the National Intelligence Centre OSINT Team does
(or is intended to do), and the size of this team
I am a New Zealand citizen.
Many thanks,
Scott
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #14794 email]
Is [New Zealand Police request email] the wrong address for Official
Information requests to New Zealand Police? If so, please contact us using
this form:
[2]https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[3]https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.
show quoted sections
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe Scott
I have been asked to the work group preparing your response to request
evidence that you are a New Zealand citizen or resident under Section 12
(1) of the Official Information Act (1982).
Please send your identification to this email address outside of the FYI
system, and we will treat your contact details in confidence and reply to
your request via FYI. Without this evidence, we are unable to proceed with
your request.
Ngā mihi
Sarah
Ministerial Services
PNHQ
===============================================================
WARNING
The information contained in this email message is intended for the
addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be
subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which
creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you
are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this
message in error, you must not peruse, use, distribute or copy this
message or any of its contents.
Also note, the views expressed in this message may not necessarily reflect
those of the New Zealand Police. If you have received this message in
error, please email or telephone the sender immediately
Mark Hanna left an annotation ()
To be absolutely clear, this statement from Police is not true:
"Without this evidence, we are unable to proceed with your request."
They are literally lying to you when they say this. Demanding evidence of eligibility is entirely discretionary, and Police could simply choose not to proceed with your request without this unnecessarily onerous step.
From: Scott
Hello Sarah,
As Mark Hanna has already pointed out in annotations to this request, your demands for my identification as a New Zealander are bunk and I do not intend to comply. If Police are determined to go down this road, this request will be referred to the Ombudsman.
Please explain to me why I should send New Zealand Police anything besides the assurance of citizenship I have already supplied.
Yours faithfully,
Scott
New Zealand Police
Kia ora ano Scott
Thank you for your email. Police are in the process of drafting a response
and will work to the due date of 29 March 2021.
Ngā mihi
Sarah
Ministerial Services
PNHQ
-----"Scott" <[FYI request #14794 email]> wrote: -----
To: "OIA/LGOIMA requests at New Zealand Police"
<[New Zealand Police request email]>
From: "Scott" <[FYI request #14794 email]>
Date: 03/03/2021 01:00PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Identification required to proceed IR-01-21-6567
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not
click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know
the content is safe.
Hello Sarah,
As Mark Hanna has already pointed out in annotations to this request, your
demands for my identification as a New Zealander are bunk and I do not
intend to comply. If Police are determined to go down this road, this
request will be referred to the Ombudsman.
Please explain to me why I should send New Zealand Police anything besides
the assurance of citizenship I have already supplied.
Yours faithfully,
Scott
show quoted sections
New Zealand Police
Good Morning Scott,
I refer to your request of 1 March 2021 for information regarding social
media.
I have been asked to let you know that Police requires an extension of
time in which to respond to your request, pursuant to section 15A of the
Official Information Act 1982 (OIA), because the request necessitates
substantial research, collation and consultations, such that a proper
response to the request cannot reasonably be made within the original time
limit.
Police require until 16 April 2021 to provide a substantive response to
your request.
You have the right, under section 28(3) of the OIA, to make a complaint to
an Ombudsman about this extension.
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this
decision, please feel free to contact
[1][email address]
Ngā mihi
Penni
Ministerial Services
PNHQ
===============================================================
WARNING
The information contained in this email message is intended for the
addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be
subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which
creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you
are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this
message in error, you must not peruse, use, distribute or copy this
message or any of its contents.
Also note, the views expressed in this message may not necessarily reflect
those of the New Zealand Police. If you have received this message in
error, please email or telephone the sender immediately
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
From: Scott
Dear New Zealand Police,
Can I get an update on this request? It's now 2 weeks overdue.
Yours faithfully,
Scott
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Tēnā koe Scott
I can confirm that your request has been compiled and is currently progressing through our internal consultation process.
Although I am unable to provide a release date at this stage, in normal circumstances this process can take up to eight working days.
Please accept our apologies for any delay in providing you with a response to your query. We are endeavouring to provide this to you as soon as possible.
Ngā mihi
Julian
Ministerial Services
PNHQ
show quoted sections
From: Ministerial Services
New Zealand Police
Kia ora Scott
Please find attached the response to your Official Information Act
request, received by New Zealand Police on 1 March 2021.
Please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in providing you with
this response.
Kind regards, Michelle
Ministerial Services PNHQ
===============================================================
WARNING
The information contained in this email message is intended for the
addressee only and may contain privileged information. It may also be
subject to the provisions of section 50 of the Policing Act 2008, which
creates an offence to have unlawful possession of Police property. If you
are not the intended recipient of this message or have received this
message in error, you must not peruse, use, distribute or copy this
message or any of its contents.
Also note, the views expressed in this message may not necessarily reflect
those of the New Zealand Police. If you have received this message in
error, please email or telephone the sender immediately
Things to do with this request
- Add an annotation (to help the requester or others)
- Download a zip file of all correspondence
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Mark Hanna left an annotation ()
Agencies are under no obligation to request proof of eligibility, and should not do so without a genuine reason to do so.
The Ombudsman's guideline on requests made online clarifies that:
"Agencies are entitled to make reasonable enquiries to satisfy themselves that a requester is eligible to make a request under the OIA. However, the eligibility requirement is not about imposing unnecessary barriers to legitimate requests. Agencies should only query eligibility if there is a genuine need to do so, and they should be mindful of their obligation to provide reasonable assistance to requesters."
https://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/reso...
Also, the lowest standard of eligibility in the OIA is that the requester is in New Zealand. If you are in New Zealand, you don't have to be a citizen or a permanent resident in order to be eligible to make a request under the OIA: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/publ...
Link to this