COVID-SOCMINT (Mayor's Office)
Multi Request | COVID-SOCMINT |
Submitted | July 29, 2020 |
Est. Completion | None |
MuckRock users can file, duplicate, track, and share public records requests like this one. Learn more.
Communications
From: Freddy Martinez
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:
According to a BlockClub Chicago, a journalism group in the city of Chicago, the city has stated it has identified people breaking the Emergency Travel Orders. Specifically the Department of Health claims to be monitoring social media to find travelers breaking the quarantine. (Source: https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/07/29/chicago-is-fining-people-for-not-quarantining-after-returning-from-out-of-state-lightfoot-says/ )
In a press conference attended by the Mayor and the Director of Public Health, it was stated : "And the city has used social media posts to see who is breaking the travel order and could be subject to a fine, Arwady said."
Therefore, we seek any contracts, bids, or payments to any vendors which provides social media monitoring.
We seek any records in possession of the communication staff when preparing these statements on social media monitoring.
We seek any records in possession of your office about specific cases of individuals who were fined (you may redact personal identifying information about the individuals).
We seek the internal names of any data sets, databases or other data storage medium for social media posts.
Any communication between the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Mayor's Office about social media posts for fines related to covid-19.
The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.
In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Freddy Martinez
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Illinois Freedom of Information Act. request, copied below, and originally submitted on July 29, 2020. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response.
Thanks for your help, and let me know if further clarification is needed.
From: Mayor's Office
August 5, 2020
Freddy Martinez
Lucy Parsons Labs
Via email at requests@muckrock.com
Dear Mr. Martinez,
On behalf of the City of Chicago Office of the Mayor, I am responding to your Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") request which was dated July 29, 2020 and received in our office on the same day. At this time, the Mayor's Office is seeking an extension of five additional working days to respond to the request for one or more of the following reasons identified in 5 ILCS 140/3(e) of FOIA:
( ) the requested records are stored in whole or in part at other locations than the office having charge of the requested records;
( ) the request requires the collection of a substantial number of specified records;
( ) the request is couched in categorical terms and requires an extensive search for the records responsive to it;
( ) the requested records have not been located in the course of routine search and additional efforts are being made to locate them;
(xx) the requested records require examination and evaluation by personnel having the necessary competence and discretion to determine if they are exempt from disclosure under Section 7 of the FOIA or should be revealed only with appropriate deletions;
(xx) the request for records cannot be complied with by the public body within the time limits prescribed by 5 ILCS 140/3(d) without unduly burdening or interfering with the operations of the public body;
(xx) there is need for consultation, which shall be conducted with all practicable speed, with another public body or among two or more components of a public body having a substantial interest in the determination or in the subject matter of the request.
Sincerely,
Tom Skelton
FOIA Officer - Office of the Mayor
From: Mayor's Office
August 12, 2020
Freddy Martinez
Lucy Parsons Labs
Via email at requests@muckrock.com
Dear Mr. Martinez,
On behalf of the City of Chicago Office of the Mayor ("Mayor's Office"), I am responding to your Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") request which was dated July 29, 2020 and received in our offices on the same day. The Mayor's Office took a 5-day extension to your request on August 5, 2020. You requested:
Requesting According to a BlockClub Chicago, a journalism group in the city of Chicago, the city has stated it has identified people breaking the Emergency Travel Orders. Specifically the Department of Health claims to be monitoring social media to find travelers breaking the quarantine. (Source: https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/07/29/chicago-is-fining-people-for-not-quarantining-after-returning-from-out-of-state-lightfoot-says/ )
In a press conference attended by the Mayor and the Director of Public Health, it was stated : "And the city has used social media posts to see who is breaking the travel order and could be subject to a fine, Arwady said."
Therefore, we seek any contracts, bids, or payments to any vendors which provides social media monitoring.
We seek any records in possession of the communication staff when preparing these statements on social media monitoring.
We seek any records in possession of your office about specific cases of individuals who were fined (you may redact personal identifying information about the individuals).
We seek the internal names of any data sets, databases or other data storage medium for social media posts.
Any communication between the Chicago Department of Public Health and the Mayor's Office about social media posts for fines related to covid-19.
The Mayor's Office does not have responsive records except to the extent your request seeks emails or text messages. We interpret you second request to seek records regarding Dr. Arwady's statement that you quoted in your FOIA request. To the extent your request seeks email or text message communications , it is unduly burdensome under Section 3(g) of FOIA. Section 3(g) of FOIA provides that "requests for all records falling within a category shall be complied with unless compliance with the request would be unduly burdensome for the complying public body and there is no way to narrow the request and the burden on the public body outweighs the public interest in the information."
In order to effectively run an email or text message search, the Mayor's Office needs the following search parameters: (1) the e-mail address(es) or employee name(s) of the account(s) you wish searched; (2) key words you wish to search for; and (3) the timeframe to be searched. Without search parameters, the Mayor's Office would need to review all department emails or text messages to determine whether any are responsive to your request. Such an undertaking would pose an immense burden on the department.
It is necessary that your FOIA request be narrowed and clarified. If you would like assistance in narrowing your request, please contact me, and I will assist you. Otherwise, for the reasons provided above, the Mayor's Office is unable to respond to your FOIA request as currently drafted.
If you agree to narrow your request, you must submit a revised written request to my attention. The Mayor's Office will take no further action or send you any further correspondence unless and until your current request is narrowed in writing. If we do not receive your narrowed request within fourteen calendar days of the date of this letter, your current request will be denied.
In the event that we do not receive a narrowed request and your current FOIA request is therefore denied, you have the right to have a denial reviewed by the Public Access Counselor (PAC) at the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, 500 S. 2nd Street, Springfield, Illinois 62706, (877) 299-3642. You also have the right to seek judicial review of your denial by filing a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court.
Sincerely,
Tom Skelton
FOIA Officer - Mayor's Office
Files
pages