No Free-time For Snooping
Posted 27th February 2001

Police in New Zealand will pay Vodafone NZ$1.1 million to be allowed access to encrypted cell phone calls. The Crimes Act in New Zealand already allows the police to intercept phone calls, but they can't decipher the encrypted calls made on the Vodafone network. Paul Swain, the communications minister, said that the money had been allocated for the deal, which was expected to be completed in a few weeks.

The same Paul Swain who's Crimes Ammendment Bill is aimed at forcing Internet Service Companies to allow snooping on their networks ... without payment but with very bad economic implications in terms of loss of confidence in Internet security. What a mess. Politician and state servant ignorance and lack of thought in the communications scene is astounding. Even the New Zealand police forces are outraged that they have to foot a bill. The president of the Police Association, Greg O'Connor, complained that in the US and Australia the responsibility lies with the service provider to give the police access to calls. "In New Zealand it doesn't happen. In New Zealand the telecommunications companies are creaming it off police," he said.