Saturday, 09 December 2023
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDRIVEN Car GuideThe CountryPhoto SalesiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub
Voyager 2023 media awards
Subscribe
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

US spy device 'tested on NZ public'

David Fisher
By
David Fisher
24 May, 2013 05:30 PM3 mins to read
Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
The Greens and Labour have repeatedly called for an inquiry into the actions of the GCSB. Photo / Tim Cuff

The Greens and Labour have repeatedly called for an inquiry into the actions of the GCSB. Photo / Tim Cuff

GCSB refuses to comment on claims communications were intercepted

A high-tech United States surveillance tool which sweeps up all communications without a warrant was sent to New Zealand for testing on the public, according to an espionage expert.

The tool was called ThinThread and it worked by automatically intercepting phone, email and internet information.

ThinThread was highly valued by those who created it because it could handle massive amounts of intercepted information. It then used snippets of data to automatically build a detailed picture of targets, their contacts and their habits for the spy organisation using it.

Those organisations were likely to include the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) after Washington, DC-based author Tim Shorrock revealed ThinThread was sent to New Zealand for testing in 2000-2001.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Shorrock, who has written on intelligence issues for 35 years, said the revolutionary ThinThread surveillance tool was sent to New Zealand by the US National Security Agency. The GCSB is the US agency's intelligence partner - currently under pressure for potentially illegal wide-spread spying on the public.

The claim ThinThread was sent to New Zealand has brought fresh calls for the bureau to explain what it does. A spokesman said the bureau was currently reviewing how much it did tell the public - but it would not be making comment on the ThinThread test. He said the intelligence agency "won't confirm or deny" the claim because it was an "operational" matter.

A spokeswoman for Prime Minister John Key also refused to comment saying it was an operational matter.

The claim emerged in an article by Mr Shorrock which ran in a magazine last month and featured whistleblower William Binney - a former high-ranking NSA official who designed ThinThread.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Shorrock said the "ThinThread prototype" was installed at two NSA listening posts in late 2000 and at Fort Meade where the NSA is based.

"In addition, several allied foreign intelligence agencies were given the program to conduct lawful surveillance in their own corners of the world. Those recipients included Canada, Germany, Britain, Australia and New Zealand."

The "lawful" aspect was due to the software's ability to mask the identities of those whose information was being intercepted - a technical work around of the legal barrier which prohibits New Zealand and the US from spying on its own citizens.

Mr Shorrock said ThinThread operated in three phases. It began by intercepting call, email and internet traffic on a network and automatically assessing it for interest. The scale of the traffic was such that it narrowed down targets of interest by focusing on patterns of information rather than the content of the information.

Related articles

New Zealand

Activist considers GCSB legal action

14 May 09:51 PM
New Zealand|Politics

GCSB cleared of illegal spying

21 May 01:11 AM
New Zealand

Aaron Lim: GCSB legislation could prevent a Boston Bombing

22 May 02:43 AM
New Zealand|Politics

GCSB: Opposition demands independent report

22 May 06:32 AM

Secondly, ThinThread automatically anonymised the collected data so the identities stayed hidden "until there was sufficient evidence to obtain a warrant".

The magic was in the back end of the system which used the raw data "to create graphs showing relationships and patterns that could tell analysts which targets they should look at and which calls should be listened to" using "metadata" - the same type of "information about information" which featured in about 60 of the 88 potentially illegal spying cases identified in the GCSB review.

The Greens and Labour both said it showed the need for an inquiry into the GCSB - an investigation which both have repeatedly demanded. Greens' co-leader Russel Norman said the Prime Minister and GCSB needed to explain to the public whether it was spied on by ThinThread.

"It reinforces why there is a different set of rules for the GCSB - they are integrated into this global spy network," he said.

Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

New ZealandUpdated

South Island fires: Crews tackle blazes across several regions

09 Dec 05:29 AM
New Zealand

'Serious injuries': Four-vehicle crash in Waikato

09 Dec 05:02 AM
New Zealand

'I’m still alive': Passenger of TikTok killer driver nearly paralysed

09 Dec 04:40 AM
New Zealand

One dead after Masterton tractor and motorcycle crash

09 Dec 03:32 AM

“Never been a better time to buy an EV”

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

South Island fires: Crews tackle blazes across several regions

South Island fires: Crews tackle blazes across several regions

09 Dec 05:29 AM

People are being asked to stay away from the areas in question.

'Serious injuries': Four-vehicle crash in Waikato

'Serious injuries': Four-vehicle crash in Waikato

09 Dec 05:02 AM
'I’m still alive': Passenger of TikTok killer driver nearly paralysed

'I’m still alive': Passenger of TikTok killer driver nearly paralysed

09 Dec 04:40 AM
One dead after Masterton tractor and motorcycle crash

One dead after Masterton tractor and motorcycle crash

09 Dec 03:32 AM
9 big questions over an EV road trip
sponsored

9 big questions over an EV road trip

About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2023 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP