26 November 2021
File number: IR-01-21-29735
Carol Rene
[email address]. nz
Dear Carol
Request for Information
Thank you for your email request dated
4 October 2021 in which you requested
information about the Police use of passive monitoring in relation to information
held by Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
I apologise for the delay in responding. Police Ministerial Services contacted you
to clarify the context of your request, however you declined. Accordingly, I have
interpreted your request to provide a response.
Question One: Do New Zealand Police, or any governmental or nonĀ
governmental organization that provides information or instructions to police,
passively obtain information on internet use of any individuals in New Zealand?
That is, can any part of the history of an individual's internet use (some of which
is available to Internet SeNice Providers, such as web addresses visited)
become available to Police without Police having a
specific intent to investigate
that person, for any purpose including to notify Police of potential persons of
interest?
I infer from your question that you are seeking an assurance that New Zealand
Police do not have a stream of data from New Zealand ISPs cataloguing
everybody's use of the internet. I can confirm Police does not hold this
information, nor does Police receive this information from other agencies.
Police would only obtain internet use data during an investigation into potential
criminal offending and only when it was necessary, relevant and in accordance
with legislation.
Question Two: If so, I request copies of internal Police policy that demonstrates
this, and which shows in as much detail as possible the extent of and methods
behind this suNeillance. If, however, Police do not gather information in this way,
I request an explanation of the barriers that prevent Police from doing so.
Police is unable to passively obtain information on the history of an individual's
internet use within New Zealand outside of what individuals choose to publicly
post, therefore there is no internal Police policy on passive monitoring of ISP
Police National Headquarters
180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Telephone: 04 474 9499. Fax: 04 498 7400. www.police.govt.nz