Court orders issued for stolen NZ Commerce Commission data

New Zealand's Commerce Commission has secured a court order against the unknown thief of equipment stolen from one of its external providers that is filled with confidential information on a number of local companies.

The orders from New Zealand's High Court follow the disclosure by the commission two weeks ago that more than 200 meeting and interview transcripts related to Commerce Commission investigations have been exposed following the theft of computer equipment in a burglary.

The external provider had failed to meet its obligations to ensure that information from the commission was securely stored and deleted after use, the commission said at the time.

The court order applies to the burglar or burglars, as well as any "unknown persons" who may at any stage take possession of the information stored on the equipment.

It prohibits any person from dealing with the stolen information in any way, including copying, communicating or publishing it, and makes failing to comply with the orders a potential act of contempt of court.

A second court order has been issued suppressing information relating to the external service provider, the nature of the services provided by the provider to the commission and information about the burglary not disclosed by the Police.

Finally, the commission has issued its own order under the Commerce Act making it a criminal offence for any person in possession of some of the purloined information to disclose or communicate it to anyone while the order is in force.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Africa Studio