MegaUpload founder and perpetual courtroom denizen, Kim Dotcom, still finds himself battling with unknown forces. This time he's claiming that a camera placed in a hotel room opposite his apartment was pointed directly at him. Although official claims are that it was filming the nearby harbour, it has since been removed, prompting Dotcom to begin an investigation of his own.
January will be the fifth anniversary of the MegaUpload file locker takedown and Kim Dotcom's initial arrest. Since then he's been battling to avoid his extradition to the U.S. where he has been charged with conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and money laundering. He lost his initial trial and is now working on the appeal, but in the meantime he claims the government is still conducting surveillance on him.
NZ Customs installed a remote control camera, 20x zoom, >inside< Hilton Penthouse, just opposite my home. Lens was aimed at my place. pic.twitter.com/qKInQQaMZR
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) November 24, 2016
In a follow up tweet, Dotcom claimed that his legal team had requested the footage from the camera, citing that any filming of Dotcom was an invasion of his privacy. In the mean time the camera has been removed, with claims that it was used to film the harbour, not Dotcom's apartment.
Dotcom went on to claim that this isn't the only harassment he's seeing lately at the hands of customs. Guests who fly into the country to meet with him are often reportedly strip-searched at the airport, as well as forced to unlock their electronic devices.
Although no official source backs up this claim, writer Timothy Marsh does suggest that he has been through such an experience.
If you're a writer looking for an authentic customs interrogation experience, fly to NZ and tell them that you're staying with @KimDotcom
— Timothy Marsh (@TimothyMarsh_) November 24, 2016
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KitGuru Says: It's been a crazy saga keeping an eye on Dotcom over the past half decade. It doesn't seem likely to end any time soon either, with Dotcom's appeal continuing and potentially transitioning to the Supreme Court sometime in 2017.
Image source: Dotcom/Twitter
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