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The Dotcom disaster

If media reports are to believed (and I'm the first to acknowledge that believing what you read in the mainstream media these days is not always wise), NZ authorities are making a dog's-breakfast of the whole Dotcom saga.

The other day I read reports that Dotcom has been told he can't get copies of the data that was on his computers and other devices because making such copies could alter the original data.

My first thought was "what muppets do they have in their IT department?"

Even the most heavily encrypted hard drive can be cloned without risk to the original contents so that excuse really didn't hold any water -- although the great unwashed public might take it at face value.

But then we're told that copies of those hard drives have already been sent to the FBI in America despite previous assurances this wouldn't happen without the defense being advised.

Woah... hang on a minute!

Either you can copy stuff safely or you can't -- who you're copying it for ought not make the slightest bit of difference. Surely the prosecution can't have it both ways.

It's starting to look very much as if the authorities in this case are placing themselves above the law in so many ways.

Of course there will be an inquiry as to why this unauthorised disclosure of the Dotcom computer data was made -- but will anyone have their arse roasted when they're found to be in the wrong?

Of course not.

We'll get the usual line which goes something like "we acknowledge mistakes have been made and will be working to ensure that this does not happen again".

Where have we heard that before? ACC perhaps - after yet another of their outrageous privacy breaches?

All this "unauthorised" export of Dotcom's data comes of course, after the original search and seizure warrant was found to probably be illegal.

It is now becoming very clear that the NZ police and prosecution are very much just puppets of the FBI in this matter and they're more than willing to thumb their noses at the processes and laws that should protect NZ citizens and residents.

If heads don't roll over this (right up to the highest levels in government) then we might as well all drop our trousers, bend over and wait -- because it's glaringly obvious what's coming.

Remember...

Today it's Kim Dotcom -- tomorrow it could be you, one of your kids or someone you know.\

I really think it's time that Kiwis stood up and demanded their sovereignty back in what we all know is really just a civil suit by the RIAA/MPAA. There's no real criminality here -- just a bunch of fat-cat executives who thought that Dotcom would be an easy target for their "lets make an example of..." campaign.

They knew that with John Key at the helm, the NZ government would simply stand back and allow the FBI to ride rough-shod over the rights of a Kiwi resident.

I think there are only two words to use when describing the way NZ's government and authorities have ceded the rights of this NZ resident to US authorities: outrageous and disgraceful.

And Kim... next time you're in Tokoroa -- drop in for a beer and a tour of the skunkworks mate, We can share our experiences of having been screwed over by the NZ government operating under direction from the USA.

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