WELLINGTON, June 5 — New Zealand’s Prime Minister has proposed potential changes to the country’s privacy laws after his press secretary was accused of secretly recording sex workers without their consent.
WELLINGTON, June 5 — New Zealand’s Prime Minister has proposed potential changes to the country’s privacy laws after his press secretary was accused of secretly recording sex workers without their consent.
Senior aide Michael Forbes resigned following allegations by local news outlet Stuff that he had covertly recorded audio during encounters with sex workers and taken secret photos of women at the gym.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he was “shocked” by the revelations but noted that it remains unclear whether Forbes’s actions violated any existing laws.
“As a New Zealander, you ask entirely reasonable questions about how such behaviour can occur, and whether it’s legal or not,” Luxon told reporters Thursday. “I share that same reaction.”
He indicated that new privacy legislation could be introduced to clarify the legal grey areas exposed by the case.
Forbes, who had served as Luxon’s deputy chief press secretary, issued a public apology through a statement to the media.
“I want to offer my sincerest apologies to the women I have harmed,” he said.
The allegations surfaced when a sex worker discovered Forbes’s phone was recording audio while he showered, according to Stuff. A subsequent investigation revealed the phone contained images of women in vulnerable positions at a gym, and a video taken through a window showing women undressing at night.
“For a period in my life, I was in a downward spiral caused by unresolved trauma and stress,” Forbes stated. “When I was confronted with the consequences of my actions a year ago, I sought professional help — something I deeply regret not doing sooner.”
“What I failed to do at the time was to offer a genuine apology,” he added. — AFP
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