New Zealand’s Internet Party to discuss UID/Aadhaar at Anti-Spy Bill Event today

This evening two brave Indian activists and academics – Dr Gopal Krishna and Dr Usha Ramanathan – will join the Internet Party’s 6th consecutive #AntiSpyBill event to share their firsthand knowledge of gross intrusions of privacy being imposed en masse upon the world’s second most populous nation.

Known as Aadhaar, the world’s largest biometrics system, implemented by the Indian government in conjunction with major corporations like telecommunications companies and banks, was engineered by for-profit international contracting companies connected to Western spy agencies. Internet Party Leader Suzie Dawson will MC the event and says: “Do you want to be fingerprinted when you buy a SIM card? No? What about to open a bank account? Well, neither do people in India. But its happening there and if we don’t help stop it, this phenomenon will likely spread around the globe.”

The Internet Party is again inviting the public to join the roundtable event, which will continue the world-first effort to draft crowdsourced legislation to regulate governmental spying. The initiative seeks to counter the damage to democratic and human rights inflicted upon New Zealanders by a string of draconian spying laws passed between 2013 and 2016. These laws have retroactively legalised previously illegal targeting of New Zealanders, including warrantless spying and covertly filming them inside their homes, Orwell-style – a practice referred to in law as “domestic visual surveillance”.

Internet Party Leader Suzie Dawson said “New Zealand spies and their international counterparts have engaged in some of the most egregious conduct imaginable. The laws passed under urgency in recent years have only furthered the sense of invulnerability of these spies. They also violate international law. We must show that where our lawmakers fail to do so, the public are willing to step up and address these issues themselves.” The event will be simulcast live on the official Internet Party Facebook page and YouTube channel. Anyone can Join the Internet Party to help #UpdateNZ – and the world!

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