Digital violent extremism intelligence reports, research and other documents

Sebastian made this Official Information request to Department of Internal Affairs

Response to this request is long overdue. By law Department of Internal Affairs should have responded by now (details and exceptions). The requester can complain to the Ombudsman.

From: Sebastian

Dear Department of Internal Affairs,

In regards to the OIA request I made to your agency which recently received your response by email, I would like to make a request for copies of some of the documents you referred to:

I would like to request copies of the following reports produced for DIA by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue:

1) Storming of the US Capitol Building on 06 January 2021
2) Dominant Covid-19 Narratives Among New Zealand Extremists and Conspiracy Theorists
3) Two Years On: understanding the Resonance of the Christchurch Attack among Online Extremists
4) Gender in the New Zealand Online Ecosystem
5) QAnon in New Zealand
6) 1080 and Online Extremism in New Zealand
7) Gun Amnesty Discussions among New Zealand Extremists Online
8) New Zealand Extremism Quarterly report 1st April 2021 – 30th June 2021

These Department Intelligence Briefs:

1) United States Presidential Inauguration 2021 (21 January 2021)
2) Operation Christchurch (16 March 2021)
3) Lynn Mall Violent Extremist Attack (5 September 2021)

And these other documents:

1) Online scanning guide (21 July 2021)
2) Classifications process (15 February 2021)
3) Managing content translation (13 April 2021)
4) Legal services (18 February 2021)

Yours faithfully,

Sebastian

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From: OIA
Department of Internal Affairs

Tçnâ koe Sebastian,

Thank you for your OIA request to the Department of Internal Affairs (included with this email)

The Department will provide its response to your request as soon as practicable and within twenty working days. The 20th working day is 15 December 2021

Please note that in cases where the Department’s response provides information that is identified to be of general public interest, the response may also be published on the Department of Internal Affairs website. If the Department publishes its response to your OIA request, all personal information, including your name and contact details, will be removed.

Nâku, nâ

Michelle Reed (she/her)  
Kaitohutohu Ârahi, te Ture Pârongo Ôkawa | Lead Advisor Official Correspondence 
Te Urûngi | Organisational Strategy & Performance
Level 6, 45 Pipitea St | PO Box 805, Wellington 6140, New Zealand |  www.dia.govt.nz

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From: Caleb Smith
Department of Internal Affairs


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Kia ora Sebastian

 

Please find attached a letter in regard to your OIA request from the
Department of Internal Affairs.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Caleb Smith | Senior Business Advisor

Regulatory Services

Toi Hiranga | Regulation & Policy

Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
45 Pipitea Street, Wellington
[1]www.dia.govt.nz

 

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From: Caleb Smith
Department of Internal Affairs


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Kia ora Sebastian

 

Please find attached a letter from the Department of Internal Affairs in
regards to your OIA request, and  a PDF file containing documents being
released to you.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Caleb Smith | Senior Business Advisor

Regulatory Services

Toi Hiranga | Regulation & Policy

Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
45 Pipitea Street, Wellington
[1]www.dia.govt.nz

 

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From: Sebastian

Dear Caleb Smith,

I'm surprised and disappointed to find that you have decided to withhold most of what I asked for, and I don't believe this could be justified under the OIA.

The ISD reports are the products of a research organisation, not a law inforcement or national security agency. I don't see how anything they could produce for DIA could threaten security or the maintenance of the law were it to be published. I also note that one previous ISD report commissioned by DIA, "Understanding the New Zealand Online Extremist Ecosystem," was realsed in full to the public. In terms of the OIA, how is this report so different to the ones I requested?

I have to conclude from your response that DIA has not figured out how to deal appropriately with OIA requests for the products of the Digital Violent Extremism team, and has wrongly decided that total secrecy is justified, contrary to how other agencies like Police deal with these kinds of requests. I am hopeful that my complaint to the Ombudsman about your response will lead to the release of these documents, and an improvement in the DIA's culture around these sort of requests in future.

Yours sincerely,

Sebastian

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From: RSOC
Department of Internal Affairs


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Dear Sebastian

 

The Department of Internal Affairs (Department) is currently working on a
submission to the Ombudsman concerning the investigation of your official
information complaint (ref: OIA 2122-0418).  Your complaint relates to
your OIA request to the Department for documents by the Institute of
Strategic Dialogue, other intelligence reports and a Departmental online
scanning guide.

 

We wish to write a submission to the Ombudsman about your complaint
including about your eligibility to make a request under the OIA. Under
section 12 of the OIA, to be eligible to request information under the
OIA, you must be:

 

o a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident; or
o a person in New Zealand.

 

In that context, we would appreciate if you could confirm your eligibility
under the OIA by providing a copy of a New Zealand identity document (such
as a passport or driver’s licence) or by providing evidence that you are a
person in New Zealand. To safeguard your privacy, this evidence should be
provided to the Department at [1][email address].

 

We would be grateful if you could confirm your eligibility under the OIA
by Tuesday 21 June 2022.

 

Ngâ mihi 

 

Royden Raka | Business Advisor

Regulatory Services

Toi Hiranga | Regulation & Policy

Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua
45 Pipitea Street, Wellington
Phone: +64 4 462  0129 | [2]www.dia.govt.nz

 

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Al left an annotation ()

What was the outcome of this OIA - the last available response is that ID is to be provided. Was a response given outside of FYI once that was done?

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Things to do with this request

Anyone:
Department of Internal Affairs only: