We Say/You Say: Policing social media
Hi Upper Hutt,
Three tools have been trialled or used by Police to search publicly available information during investigations, but they will not reveal which ones.
Some of these have sparked controversy overseas, including one tool that was used to track Black Lives Matter protesters or monitor electronic chatter.
Police Commissioner Andrew Coster has defended using these digital tools, and faced criticism for it, with digital rights groups worried online surveillance is escalating.
Auckland technologist Andrew Chen has argued police need to more transparent when deploying a tool and its justification.
Police said the 2020 stocktake was a "snapshot" only and was only revealing what it could to build public confidence.
What do you think about this approach? Find out more by clicking the 'Read More' button. You can share your thoughts below and don't forget to type NFP if you don't want your comments used in your local community paper.
Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!
The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.
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89.1% Yes, it's fair
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10.3% No, it's unreasonable
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0.7% Other - I'll share below
Smoke in Mt Wellington
Smoke has been seen coming from the crater of the Auckland maunga Mt Wellington.
Images of the smoke began appearing on social media on Friday afternoon.
Around 1.45pm, Fire and Emergency (Fenz) shift manager Josh Pennefather told the NZ Herald a crew was fighting a fire of about 60 square metres in size.
”It’s spreading up hill … [but] there’s no property at risk at this stage,” Pennefather said.
Six fire trucks were in attendance working to contain a grass fire that's spreading up the maunga.
A helicopter was on its way to assist firefighting efforts, he added.
At 2pm, Pennefather shared that the fire was contained and they were working to extinguish it, including “keeping an eye on a whole bunch of hot spots“.