Anonymous + general hacktivists 2009-2018 (Illinois State Police)
| Tracking # |
19-1605 |
| Multi Request | Anonymous + general hacktivists 2009-2018 |
| Submitted | May 29, 2019 |
| Due | June 5, 2019 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Emma North-Best
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act., I hereby request the following records:
Documents mentioning or relating to Anonymous (the hacker movement/collective, see below) or hacktivism (defined as hacking as a form of protest and/or activism) generated between 1 January 2009 and 1 January 2019, including but not limited to:
* Internal reports, bulletins, warnings and alerts relating to Anonymous or hacktivism
* Reports from the appropriate IT (Information Technology) or computer offices regarding possible cyber attacks by Anonymous or other hacktivists
* Reports, bulletins, warnings and alerts sent to or received from either the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, any fusion center or federal agency relating to or mentioning Anonymous or hacktivism
* Incident reports investigating possible hacking activity falling within the office's jurisdiction and allegedly carried out by members of Anonymous or other hacktivist groups
* Materials generated as a result of any suspected or actual compromise, breach or "dox" (revealing of personal or private information) by Anonymous or other hacktivists
Anonymous has been described by government agencies as a non-hierarchical hacktivist collective, Anonymous uses hacking (and arguably cracking) techniques to register political protest in campaigns known as “#ops.” Best known for their distributed denial of services (DDoS) attacks, past activities have included attacks against the Church of Scientology; Visa, Paypal, and others who withdrew their services from WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange after that group began releasing war documents; #OpTunisia and others purporting to support the Arab Spring; and a campaign that brought down the website of the Westboro Baptist Church. #Ops are usually marked with the release of a video of a reader in a Guy Fawkes mask using a computer generated voice. See attached for additional background information.
I am a member of the news media and request classification as such. I have previously written about the government and its activities, with some reaching over 100,000 readers. As such, as I have a reasonable expectation of publication and my editorial and writing skills are well established. In addition, I discuss and comment on the files online and make them available through non-profits such as the Internet Archive and MuckRock, disseminating them to a large audience. While my research is not limited to this, a great deal of it, including this, focuses on the activities and attitudes of the government itself. As such, it is not necessary for me to demonstrate the relevance of this particular subject in advance.
As my primary purpose is to inform about government activities by reporting on it and making the raw data available, I request that fees be waived.
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,
Emma Best
From: Illinois State Police
ILLINOIS STATE POLICE
Office of the Director
JB Pritzker Brendan F. Kelly
Governor Acting Director
FOIA FIVE-DAY EXTENSION LETTER
June 6, 2019
Ms. Emma Best
MuckRock News
requests@muckrock.com
Re: FOIR #19-1605 Extension
Dear Ms. Best:
The Illinois State Police has received your request for records related to "I hereby request the following records: documents mentioning or relating to Anonymous(the hacker movement/collective)or hacktivism(defined as hacking as a form of protest and/or activism)generated between 1 January 2009 and 1 January 2019 including but not limited to: (1) Internal reports, bulletins, warnings and alerts relating to Anonymous or hacktivism (2) Reports from the appropriate IT or computer offices regarding possible cyber attacks by Anonymous or other hacktivists (3) reports, bulletins, warnings and alerts sent to or received from either the FBI, Homeland Security, any fusion center or federal agency relating to or mentioning Anonymous or hacktivism (4)incident reports investigating possible hacking activity falling within the office's jurisdiction and allegedly carried out by members of Anonymous or other hacktivist groups (5) materials generated as a result of any suspected or actual compromise, breach or "dox" (revealing of personal or private information) by anonymous or other hacktivists.. A response to your request is due 06/06/2019. However, additional time is needed to respond to your request. In accordance with Section 3 (e) of the Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140/3 (e)), the response due date is being extended to 06/13/2019. The basis for this extension is as follows:
_____ The requested records are stored in whole or in part at another location.
_____ The request requires the collection of a substantial number of records.
_____ The request is stated in categorical terms which requires an extensive search for the records requested.
__X__ The requested records have not yet been located and additional time is needed to complete the search.
__X__ The requested records require examination and evaluation to determine if the documents are exempt from disclosure and/or must be redacted.
__X__ The requested records cannot be provided within the prescribed time frame without causing an undue burden or interfering with the operation of the Department.
_____ Consultation is needed with another public body in order to respond to the request.
Our Records Department is still completing a search for the records. If they are able to locate records, they will be redacted copies. Unredacted copies of records are only available through a subpoena or the Attorney General.
Freedom of Information Officer:
Bruce A. Kugler
Illinois State Police
801 S. Seventh St., Suite 1000-S
Springfield, Illinois 62703
State of Illinois - CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this communication is confidential, may be attorney-client privileged or attorney work product, may constitute inside information or internal deliberative staff communication, and is intended only for the use of the addressee. Unauthorized use, disclosure or copying of this communication or any part thereof is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail and destroy this communication and all copies thereof, including all attachments. Receipt by an unintended recipient does not waive attorney-client privilege, attorney work product privilege, or any other exemption from disclosure.
From: Illinois State Police
ILLINOIS STATE POLICE
Office of the Director
JB Pritzker Brendan F. Kelly
Governor Acting Director
RESPONSE to FOIA REQUEST
July 17, 2019
MuckRock News
Ms. Emma Best
requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>
Re: FOIR #19-1605 Response
Dear Ms. Best:
Thank you for writing the Illinois State Police ("ISP") with your request for information pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA"), 5 ILCS 140/1 et seq. The ISP acknowledges receipt of your FOIA request dated May 30, 2019. (See attached request).
From: Muckrock Staff
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following request, copied below. 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.
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