Originally Posted by
justakiwi
I think the government could could be forgiven for reacting “emotionally” when they first found out about the leak. People jump to conclusions in situations like this, so their initial claims of hacking were probably just that. I’m not saying it was an appropriate response but kind of understandable. So yes, faults on both sides. BUT, I am not as convinced as you that “nothing unlawful” happened. As I said in my previous post, if confidential information comes into your hands, by whatever means, you are obligated to report it and return the information to the rightful owner of that information. Especially if it is government information. Any document you ever receive from a government department, via snail mail or email, has that clearly noted at the bottom of the communication. If you willingly choose to access information that is not yours, you commit an offence and I dare say you could be prosecuted.
I suspect this is the case here. If the government wanted to make an example of Bridges/National, they could bring a prosecution against them. If somebody intentionally accessed your confidential government information (IRD, WINZ, Health Records or whatever) wouldn’t you expect some consequences?