BREAKING: New Zealand spying

Predictably John Key is on "friendly terms with Palantir's co-
founder Peter Thiel

BREAKING: Green Party asks about contracts with Prism-linked US company

_{Radio NZ,}

_{11 June, 2013}

_{The Green Party says the Prime Minister needs to be upfront about whether the Government has hired a private company to spy on New Zealanders.}

_{It claims that data mining company Palantir has New Zealand Government contracts and wants to embed an analyst inside the Government.}

_{Former CIA employee Edward Snowden last week revealed that America's National Security Agency uses a clandestine surveillance operation known as Prism to monitor computer and telephone networks world-wide.}

_{Green Party co-leader Russel Norman says Palantir has been implicated in that scandal and in Parliament on Wednesday asked the Prime Minister whether Palantir had contracts with the Government.}

_{John Key replied that it was not in the public interest to discuss the operational capabilities or contracts of the New Zealand intelligence agencies.}

_{The Greens want New Zealand to offer Mr Snowden refugee status, but Mr Key said he would not be welcome.}

_{Mr Snowden has been in hiding in Hong Kong, but has not been seen since checking out of his hotel on Monday}

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