Anonymous + general hacktivists 2009-2018 (United States Agency for International Development)
It is a clone of this request.
| Tracking # |
F-00164-19 |
| Multi Request | Anonymous + general hacktivists 2009-2018 |
| Submitted | May 29, 2019 |
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Communications
From: Emma North-Best
To Whom It May Concern:
Pursuant to the 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 relating to or mentioning Anonymous or hacktivism sent to or received from any federal law enforcement or intelligence agencies or any fusion center
* 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.
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 20 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Emma Best
From: United States Agency for International Development
May 30, 2019 RE: USAID FOIA No. F-00164-19 Dear Ms. Best: Thank you for your letter dated May 30, 2019, requesting information pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552. The tracking number for your request is F-00164-19. Please use this number when corresponding with our office. At this time, we are in the process of perfecting your request. A perfected request for records reasonably describes such records and is made in accordance with published rules stating the time, place, fees (if any) and procedures to be followed. This process includes reviewing the request for clarity and fee category determination and related commitment to pay, if applicable. Once your request is perfected, you will be notified of the FOIA Specialist assigned to process your case. If you have questions, please contact us at foia@usaid.gov. Please cite the above-referenced number when corresponding with our office. (mailto:foia@usaid.gov) Thank you. Sincerely, Pamela A-Campbell
FOIA Specialist
Bureau for Management
Office of Management Services
Information and Records Division
From: United States Agency for International Development
May 30, 2019 RE: USAID FOIA No. F-00164-19 Dear Ms. Best: This acknowledges receipt of your May 30, 2019, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Specifically, you requested documents mentioning or relating to anonymous (the hacker movement/collective) or hacktivism (defined as hacking as a form of protest and/or activism) 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; 3) reports bulletins, warning and alerts relating to/or mentioning anonymous or hacktivism sent to/or received from law enforcement or intelligence agencies or any fusion center; 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; and 5) materials generated as a result of any suspected or actual compromise, breach or dox (revealing of personal/private information). (Date Range for Record Search: From 1/1/2009 To 1/1/2019).
The FOIA provides that fees should be waived or reduced if disclosure of the information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester. As a member of the media, the only applicable fee is duplication. Duplication is $0.10 per page, but the first 100 pages are free. After review of the fee waiver criteria, it is moot. Since the only applicable fee is duplication, and USAID routinely furnishes responsive records to FOIA requesters in electronic format, it's most likely there will be no duplication fees to assess.
FOIA Specialist
Your request has been assigned to Adam Abdi, Program Manager/Senior FOIA Specialist. You may contact Adam Abdi by email at aabdi@usaid.gov or by phone on 202-712-4769. Please reference the tracking number cited above in any future correspondence.
Thank you for your interest in USAID. Sincerely,
Pamela A-Campbell
FOIA Specialist
Bureau for Management
Office of Management Services
Information and Records Division
From: United States Agency for International Development
Ms. Emma Best
MuckRock News
DEPT MR 74365
411A Highland Avenue
Somerville, MA 02144-2516
Re: FOIA Request No. F-00164-19 Final Response
Dear Ms. Best:
The U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) regrets the delay in responding to your Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) request.
This is the final response to your May 30, 2019 FOIA request to USAID
Thank you for your interest in USAID
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