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Intelligence and Security Act 2017

Authorisations - Offences and immunities

108: Unlawful use or disclosure of information

You could also call this:

"Keep secrets: don't share authorised information unless you're allowed to"

Illustration for Intelligence and Security Act 2017

If you are doing something that has been authorised, you must not tell anyone else about it unless you are doing your job or the relevant Minister says you can. You also must not use any information you got from doing the authorised activity, or tell anyone else about that information, unless you are allowed to. The relevant Minister is the person in charge of the agency that was allowed to do the activity.

If you do not follow these rules, you can get in trouble and have to pay a fine of up to $10,000. This is because you would have broken the law by doing something you were not supposed to do with the information or by telling someone you were not supposed to tell.

You can find more information about this law by looking at the Intelligence and Security Act 2017 and other related laws, such as the law referenced at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM392015, which has more details about similar rules.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7118967.

Topics:
Crime and justice > Criminal lawRights and equality > Privacy
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109: Unlawful disclosure of acquired information, or

"Keeping secrets: Don't share information you got from authorised activities unless it's part of your job."

Part 4Authorisations
Offences and immunities

108Unlawful use or disclosure of information

  1. A person carrying out an authorised activity must not, other than in the performance or exercise of the person’s functions, duties, or powers or with the consent of the relevant Minister,—

  2. disclose to any other person that the activity is an authorised activity; or
    1. use any information obtained from the carrying out of the authorised activity; or
      1. disclose to any other person any information obtained from the carrying out of the authorised activity.

        1. A person who contravenes this section commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

        2. In this section, relevant Minister means the Minister responsible for the intelligence and security agency authorised to carry out the activity.

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