New Zealand’s top intelligence agencies are becoming increasingly concerned about foreign interference and malicious cyber activity that continues to threaten local communities and organisations.
Speaking to the Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee, Phil McKee, the acting Director-General of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS), said the most “insidious” examples concerned harassment of ethnic communities who speak out against actions of foreign powers.
“There are examples where information is collected on them and used to threaten whanau [extended family] members in their home country,” he told the committee.
“We have also seen attempts at foreign interference against university academics, local government officials, and the media….