Anonymous + general hacktivists 2009-2018 (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)
It is a clone of this request.
| Tracking # |
19-08200-F |
| 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: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Dear Ms. Best,
This email is to acknowledge receipt of your May 30, 2019 Freedom of Information Act request to the Department of Veterans Affairs in which you are requesting records pertaining to Anonymous + general hacktivists 2009-2018.
The FOIA Service received your request on May 30, 2019, and assigned it FOIA tracking number 19-08200-F. Please refer to this number when communicating with the VA about this request.
V/R,
Diane M Cooke
Diane Cooke
VA FOIA Service (005R1C)
Quality, Performance, and Risk (QPR)
Office of Information and Technology (OI&T)
Office: 202-632-7419
Fax: 202-632-7581
Hotline: 1-877-750-3642
Please take a moment and let us know how we did by completing a quick evaluation: Got a minute? Rate Our Service!<https://vaww.vashare.oit.va.gov/sites/QPR/Lists/QPR%20Customer%20Satisifaction%20Evaluation/Item/newifs.aspx>
[Quality, Privacy, Risk icon.]QPR’s Mission Statement:
“To instill and promote a culture of quality, privacy and risk management in collaboration with our business partners to enable a better Veteran experience.”
From: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Hello Ms. Best,
Please see attached initial agency decision (IAD) and 1 page responsive document regarding your FOIA request.
Thank you,
-------------------------------------------------------------
Jay Riahi, MAIS-IC/TS
VACO FOIA Officer I VACO FOIA Service
Quality, Performance, and Risk (QPR) I Office of Information and Technology (OI&T)
O: (202) 461-7762 I C: (202) 322-3652
[LDP logo Super_FINAL (002)]
[cid:image001.png@01D525A6.2CA69090]QPR's Mission Statement:
"To lead a culture of quality and accountability to drive an exceptional Veteran and customer experience"
This message and attachments may contain information that is confidential and/or protected by law. These messages are For Official Use Only and may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552. Do not share with unintended parties. If received in error, please advise sender immediately and destroy. Any unauthorized dissemination or copying of the material in this message, and any attachments to the message, is strictly prohibited.
From: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Ms. Best,
This email is to acknowledge receipt of your second request. We have combined it with your original request and we will respond to you as we process.
Please do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions,
-------------------------------------------------------------
Jay Riahi, MAIS-IC/TS
VACO FOIA Officer I VACO FOIA Service
Quality, Performance, and Risk (QPR) I Office of Information and Technology (OI&T)
O: (202) 461-7762 I C: (202) 322-3652
[LDP logo Super_FINAL (002)]
[cid:image001.png@01D525A6.2CA69090]QPR's Mission Statement:
"To lead a culture of quality and accountability to drive an exceptional Veteran and customer experience"
This message and attachments may contain information that is confidential and/or protected by law. These messages are For Official Use Only and may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552. Do not share with unintended parties. If received in error, please advise sender immediately and destroy. Any unauthorized dissemination or copying of the material in this message, and any attachments to the message, is strictly prohibited.
From: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Ms. Best,
Please see attached 2nd decision regarding your FOIA requests.
Thank you,
-------------------------------------------------------------
Jay Riahi, MAIS-IC/TS
VACO FOIA Officer I VACO FOIA Service
Quality, Performance, and Risk (QPR) I Office of Information and Technology (OI&T)
O: (202) 461-7762 I C: (202) 322-3652
[LDP logo Super_FINAL (002)]
[cid:image001.png@01D525A6.2CA69090]QPR's Mission Statement:
"To lead a culture of quality and accountability to drive an exceptional Veteran and customer experience"
This message and attachments may contain information that is confidential and/or protected by law. These messages are For Official Use Only and may be exempt from disclosure pursuant to 5 U.S.C. § 552. Do not share with unintended parties. If received in error, please advise sender immediately and destroy. Any unauthorized dissemination or copying of the material in this message, and any attachments to the message, is strictly prohibited.
From: Emma North-Best
I am appealing the rejection in its entirety, including but not limited to the b1 withholding which was asserted despite the admission by the agency that the records are not classified. Further, the government's own standards about TLP Amber, which was cited by the Agency, state that it and other TLP codings "are not intended to have any effect on freedom of information or “sunshine” laws in any
jurisdiction."
From: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Good morning Ms. Emma Best - Attached is the acknowledgement letter for your FOIA Appeal of March 10, 2020 sent to the Office of General Counsel (024) regarding FOIA 19-082005-F.
Thank you,
**Responses to this email should only be sent to: OGCFOIAAppeals@va.gov<mailto:OGCFOIAAppeals@va.gov>
OGCFOIAAppeals@va.gov<mailto:OGCFOIAAppeals@va.gov>
Office of General Counsel (024)
Information & Administrative Law Group
Department of Veteran Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue
Washington DC 20420
From: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Ms. Best,
Good morning. Please see attached OGC's Decision for Emma Best, FOIA Tracking #19-08200-F, OGC Case #145604.
Deborah C. Barnes
Legal Assistant
Office of General Counsel (024)
Information & Administrative Law Group
Department of Veterans Affairs (VACO), Room 1157A
810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420
Phone (202) 461-7711
Debi.barnes@va.gov
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