NSA obtained telephone metadata of NZ journalist in Afghanistan for NZ military

[dkf]

The New Zealand military received help from US spy agencies to monitor the phone calls of Kiwi journalist Jon Stephenson and his associates while he was in Afghanistan reporting on the war.

Stephenson has described the revelation as a serious violation of his privacy, and the intrusion into New Zealand media freedom has been slammed as an abuse of human rights.

The spying came at a time when the New Zealand Defence Force was unhappy at Stephenson's reporting of its handling of Afghan prisoners and was trying to find out who was giving him confidential information.

The monitoring occurred in the second half of last year when Stephenson was working as Kabul correspondent for the US McClatchy news service and for various New Zealand news organisations.

http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/8972743/US-spy-agencies-eavesdrop-on-Kiwi

[Dustin DeWinde]

1. so?

Am I supposed to be outraged that calls in a war zone were monitored?
Seriously?
**yawn** wake me when the black helicopters arrive.

[delrem]

2. No. you don't get it.

These aren't general "calls in a war zone", they are particular to a journalist:
"...to monitor the phone calls of Kiwi journalist Jon Stephenson and his associates while he was in Afghanistan reporting on the war".

This kind of shit doesn't happen to embedded journalists. It doesn't happen to Richard Engel, that's for sure.

[Dustin DeWinde]

3. even our soldiers in war zones get their mail read and their phone calls listened to

We are over there shooting at men who are shooting back at us. Security is priority one. Breaching enemy security (including communications) is a very close second. Forgive me if I don't pretend to be shocked that communications in war zones are monitored. But that's only because I'm not a hypocrite.

[delrem]

5. I understand: you like totally embedded journalists.

You don't understand the nature of war. So you don't understand the distinction between embedded and free journalism.

So I don't expect much.

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. Don't bother with that poster; they called me a zimmerman apologist and a paulbot in another thread.

[Waiting For Everyman]

4. Another terrorist suspect, eh?

It's pretty clear what this monitoring is for. And it's not about stopping terrorists. It's about hiding things that shouldn't be going on.

[randome]

9. Um, yeah, the NSA does have areas of responsibility besides terrorism.

What's your point?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[Hydra]

10. Oh, covering up crimes is on their duty list?

Who knew?

[randome]

12. The data the NSA collects on foreigners cannot be shared with another country...

...without receipt of a legal request.

Now if you want to posit that we should treat foreign individuals the same as Americans, you have, in effect, declared that the U.S. rules the world.

We don't. Damned near, I admit, but we don't.

International law enforcement cooperation happens all the time. It's not up to the U.S. to decide NOT to hand over information upon receipt of a legal request. Unless, I would assume, extenuating circumstances were involved.

Now if anyone has evidence that the NSA is handing over data to anyone who gets on the phone with a foreign accent, let's see that evidence.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]You should never stop having childhood dreams.[/center][/font][hr]

[Hydra]

14. Then how did they get the data on Jon Stephenson?

He had no charges against him. The 5 Eyes- they asked, we shared.

It's quite amusing that a lot of this seems to go back to illegal actions during wars that they want covered up. Since you seem to be fine with getting the information from the most biased source, I guess it won't bother you when there aren't any more journalists. They'll just be reading the propaganda for you, because doing real investigations will be suicidal.

[Waiting For Everyman]

16. The point: this spying is supposed to be used against terrorists.

Journalists are not terrorists. The spying is being used for repression.

The premise for it is a pack of lies. It is most of all to be used against us, the civilian population. It's especially to be used against those who object to what the government is doing.

It. Is. Illegal. Spying.

It is an instrument of a fascist state which is entirely rogue at this point. By that I mean that it completely disregards the Constitution, which is the legal basis for any and all government actions of any kind.

[Savannahmann]

6. Marvelous.

Do I really need it?

[Fire Walk With Me]

8. So: We don't like what this person is doing, collect all of their data. Omen signs in the shape of

things to come.

Where is the outrage?

[Hydra]

11. The outrage is missing because it's "someone else"

I see the logical conclusion of this: Information is sought/released, information trail is plotted, everyone in the information trail is jailed or killed.

Stalin would have LOVED to have this system.

[woo me with science]

13. [phone]

[otohara]

15. No, "They" Didn't Like

they being New Zealand govt.

Germany used NSA to find kidnapped Germans in Afghanistan too.
Where's the outrage?