Anonymous + general hacktivists 2009-2018 (Maine State Police)

Emma North-Best filed this request with the Maine State Police of Maine.
Multi Request Anonymous + general hacktivists 2009-2018
Status
Rejected

Communications

From: Emma North-Best


To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Maine Freedom of Access 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.

I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as we believe this request is in the public interest, as suggested but not stipulated by 1 M.R.S.A. § 408(6). The requested documents will be made available to the general public free of charge as part of the public information service at MuckRock.com, processed by a representative of the news media/press and is made in the process of news gathering and not for commercial usage.

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: Maine State Police

Dear Ms. Best:

This email is sent to acknowledge our agency’s receipt of your Freedom of Access Act request below.

Respectfully, C

Chris

CHRISTOPHER PARR | STAFF ATTORNEY
MAINE STATE POLICE

Maine State Police
45 Commerce Drive, Suite 1
Augusta, ME 04333-0042
(e) christopher.parr@maine.gov<mailto:christopher.parr@maine.gov>

This e-mail, and any attachments thereto, may contain or constitute information that is confidential by law and/or protected by one or more recognized privileges. IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS E-MAIL IN ERROR, PLEASE CONTACT me WITH A REPLY E-MAIL at the earliest convenience. Thank you.
…..

From: Maine State Police

Dear Ms. Best:

Good afternoon –

This email responds to your recent FOAA request, which appears below.

We by law are unable to confirm the existence or nonexistence of what, if any, records the Maine State Police has that are responsive to your request. See 16 M.R.S.A. § 807.

Respectfully, C

Chris

CHRISTOPHER PARR | STAFF ATTORNEY
MAINE STATE POLICE

Maine State Police
45 Commerce Drive, Suite 1
Augusta, ME 04333-0042
(e) christopher.parr@maine.gov<mailto:christopher.parr@maine.gov>

This e-mail, and any attachments thereto, may contain or constitute information that is confidential by law and/or protected by one or more recognized privileges. IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE RECEIVED THIS E-MAIL IN ERROR, PLEASE CONTACT me WITH A REPLY E-MAIL at the earliest convenience. Thank you.

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