Spying Claims Muddle New Zealand Election as Dotcom Calls Key Gov't An 'American Slave'
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has denied spying claims and released documents from the Government Communications and Security Bureau (GCSB) to clarify the issue. The country has been rocked with accusations, claiming the government is spying on New Zealanders.
According to reports, Mr Key quickly responded to the claims of whistleblowers Edward Snowden and Glen Greenwald. Just days before the New Zealand election on Sept. 20, Snowden and Greenwald told the public that they were being watched by the government.
The prime minister said the accusations hurled against the government are "simply wrong" because they are based on incomplete data. He denied the existence of a cable access surveillance programme in New Zealand
Mr Key has once again quelled rumours of mass surveillance in the country. He reiterated that the GCSB does not collect metadata on citizens, but the agency conducts "cyber security operations" to protect the people from cyber attacks.
Snowden had recently claimed he encountered communications data of New Zealanders on a mass surveillance tool the GCSB used known as the X-Keyscore when he was still working for NSA. The tool allowed the mass collection of data not related to cybersecurity. He claimed the tool is being used to read people's private text messages, emails and Internet traffic.
Kim Dotcom, founder of defunct site Megaupload and the Internet Party, was true to his word when he said he was going to reveal something about the New Zealand government on Sept. 15. Writing an opinion piece for CNN, Dotcom said the country has "quietly morphed" under Mr Key's leadership. He accused the prime minister of turning New Zealand into an "American slave" because of the government's immediate response to U.S. interests rather than the issues facing New Zealanders.
Dotcom feared New Zealand would lose its national identity, including its fundamental rights and freedoms. He described how the issues have become personal since he "fell quickly in love" with New Zealand and the people.
He believes that Mr Key's government will put the interests of the U.S. ahead of New Zealand. Dotcom said the people involved in the "dirty politics" scandal which includes the prime minister, should not be trusted with New Zealand's future.
