Summarised by Centrist
Cobwebs Technologies, a data surveillance company, scanned social media for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) under a four-year contract. MBIE confirmed Cobwebs never had access to Kiwis’ information, with all collected data stored in Australia on Microsoft cloud services. Following the contract’s end in April, the data was erased. Cobwebs confirmed the removal in an August letter, and MBIE said it is exploring replacement options for the service, which was used to deter mass arrivals by boat people.
