Dotcom seeks gagging order

The Herald reports:

Kim Dotcom has taken High Court action to stop his former bodyguard from speaking publicly about goings-on in the internet entrepreneur’s personal life and business dealings.

Dotcom made a successful application for an interim injunction against Wayne Tempero in the High Court at Auckland yesterday. The action came soon after the Herald reported that Tempero was set to release “secret revelations” about Dotcom’s “mindset and megalomania”.

The gagging order is a mistake, as it makes the media even more interested in what Tempero has to say, and makes you wonder what exactly it is that Dotcom doesn’t want made public!

If Dotcom was just a businessman, then you might understand his desire for privacy. But he is now a politician, setting up his own political party. It is a very bad look for a politician to try and gag someone from talking about him. Also Dotcom has not sought a quiet life. He is constantly promoting himself, and even co-operated with a very sympathetic book written about him. But when it seems someone may say something not so nice, he seeks a gagging order.

Yesterday Justice Sarah Katz granted an interim injunction and ordered that Mr Tempero – and anyone else on his behalf – was “restrained from using or disclosing to any person, firm, corporation or entity, any confidential or trade information acquired whilst working for Kim Dotcom”.

The information included, but was not limited to, any information acquired by Mr Tempero “about Kim Dotcom, his role with Kim Dotcom, any information to do with providing services to Kim Dotcom and any other information whatsoever concerning Kim Dotcom, his businesses, his political party, his music, his family and friends, and all images of Kim Dotcom, his family and friends at any time”.

That’s an incredibly wide ranging order. To try and suppress any information from Tempero about his political party. Is this the same political party that claims to be in favour of open government and transparency? I judge people by their actions, not their words.

Labour, Greens, NZ First and Mana have all been cuddling up to Dotcom. They may all come to regret that.