The National Security Group said it was engaging with civil society organisations, academia and media on how to strengthen ways to tackle disinformation more broadly. Photo: 123RF
The government's national security arm says it is working on how to address the spread of disinformation and this is not directed specifically at the general election.
A briefing to the Minister for National Security and Intelligence Chris Hipkins shows disinformation was listed as a priority issue for March and April.
The National Security Group told RNZ this was "not directed specifically at the upcoming general election", although it recognised disinformation was a concern for the poll.
It was engaging with civil society organisations, academia and media on how to strengthen ways to tackle disinformation more broadly, the group's deputy chief executive Tony Lynch said in a statement.
"The government is concerned about the growth and effect of misinformation and disinformation on the public and susceptible communities, whether unintentionally or deliberately," he said.
The Independent Electoral Review is specifically looking at how to manage the risks of electoral manipulation and foreign interference, among many other things.
It is expected to report back in June.
The two spy agencies, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (SIS) and the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), told a select committee on Monday that they were both engaging with the Electoral Commission, and they would be briefing the political parties, as usual, on cyber security and "around foreign interference".
Asked how foreign interference was evolving, the GCSB director-general Andrew Hampton said they had to have proof a state was involved before they engaged their "intrusive powers".
SIS acting director-general Phil McKee said his investigators could often establish with "reasonable certainty" if a state was involved.
"Lots of countries are going through this at the moment" and these partners were helping each other, McKee said.
Hampton noted that in the lead-up to the Parliament protests a year ago, research showed New Zealanders were consuming a lot of misinformation generated by the likes of media channel Russia Today.
Microsoft set up a Russian Propaganda Index that tracked this.
"But when you tapped into the research, it was all being circulated by ... a relatively small number of New Zealanders," Hampton said.
"It wasn't, y'know, Russian actors doing it directly."