Hon Brooke van Velden
Minister of Internal Affairs

Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden is welcoming the introduction of a new ‘hash’ database to counter digital violent extremism and protect the wellbeing of investigators.

“One of the many roles of the Department of Internal Affairs is preventing the spread of illegal objectionable material that encourages violent extremism. This new database will increase the efficiency of this work and better safeguard the wellbeing of the staff who deal with this content,” says Ms van Velden.

The database works by assigning a unique identifier, called a ‘hash’, to each piece of illegal content. These hashes can then be used to identify files that have already been classified as illegal, reducing the time required to individually identify material and preventing investigators from being repeatedly exposed to disturbing content.

The Department has the authority to issue ‘take-down notices’ to have the illegal material removed from online sites, including social media. The Department reports that most platforms promptly comply with such requests to remove the content. The database is also a useful tool in investigations into individuals found in possession of illegal material.

The database has been designed to be shared with the New Zealand Police, Customs Service, Security Intelligence Service, and international law enforcement agencies. The Department of Internal Affairs report that it has received positive feedback from partner agencies.

“The investigators in the Digital Violent Extremism team do incredible work preventing the spread of illegal terrorist content. I’m pleased that this new hashing database will ease the burden on them, as well as increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Department.”

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