FBI social media application RFI summary
| Tracking # |
1323257-000, AP-2015-04626 |
| Submitted | Feb. 9, 2015 |
| Est. Completion | None |
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Communications
From: Shawn Musgrave
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:
A summary of findings from the request for information (RFI) the FBI posted in January 2012 for a social media application to be used by the Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC).
This RFI can be found here (and attached): https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=64c7a3014f6e2944e30c05266eedd9b4&_cview=0
I also request that, if appropriate, fees be waived as I believe this request is in the public interest. 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 fees cannot be waived, 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,
Shawn Musgrave
From: Sobonya, David P. (RMD) (FBI)
Dear Mr. Musgrave,
The FBI has received your Freedom of Information Act/Privacy (FOIPA) request and it will be forwarded to Initial Processing for review. Your request will be processed under the provisions of FOIPA and a response will be mailed to you at a later date.
Requests for fee waivers and expedited processing will be addressed once your request has been assigned an FOIPA request number. You will receive written notification of the FBI’s decision.
Information regarding the Freedom of Information Act/Privacy is available at http://www.fbi.gov<http://www.fbi.gov>/ or http://www.fbi.gov/foia/. If you require additional assistance please contact the Public Information Officer.
Thank you,
David P. Sobonya
Public Information Officer/GIS
Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS)
FBI-Records Management Division
170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843
PIO: (540) 868-4593
Direct: (540) 868-4286
Fax: (540) 868-4391/4997
-
~WRD000
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Feb. 9, 2015. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed.
Thank you for your help.
From: Sobonya, David P. (RMD) (FBI)
Dear Mr. Musgrave,
Requests are processed in the order that they are received. The request is waiting to be opened, at which time it will be assigned a FOIPA request number and correspondence will be mailed to you. Upon receipt of the correspondence, you will be able to check the status of your request online at http://www.fbi.gov/foia/.
Please remember that the FBI receives a voluminous amount of requests on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis.
Please contact me if you require further assistance.
Thank you,
David P. Sobonya
Public Information Officer/GIS
Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS)
FBI-Records Management Division
170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843
PIO: (540) 868-4593
Direct: (540) 868-4286
Fax: (540) 868-4391/4997
-
~WRD000
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
An interim response, stating the request is being processed.
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Feb. 9, 2015. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1323257-000.
Thank you for your help.
From: Sobonya, David P. (RMD) (FBI)
Dear Mr. Musgrave,
Due to the voluminous requests that the FBI receives on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis, requesters are encouraged to utilize the online option to Check the Status of Your FOIPA Request by following the instructions in the attached sample. The last status update was performed on April 15, 2015.
Upon entering your FOIPA Request Number, the requester will be provided “ONE” of the following STATUS RESULTS:
The FBI’s FOI/PA Program is processing your request in accordance to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act guidelines. *The Disclosure analyst is making a line by line, page by page review of the records to determine if any redactions are required pursuant to subsections of Title 5, U. S. Code, Section 552 and 552a. Upon completion, the records are forwarded to a supervisor for review, if approved, a release will be forthcoming.
The FBI’s FOI/PA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents. You may be contacted via form letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply. *Requests are received by Initial Processing (IP) where they are opened, assigned a FOIPA Request Number and correspondence mailed to the requester. The IP analyst searches for, retrieves and reviews potentially responsive records. If responsive records are located, they are forwarded to Disclosure for processing.
The FBI’s FOIPA Program has identified potential responsive information to your request and awaits assignment to a Government Information Specialist (GIS) for further processing. *Responsive information was located and has been forwarded to the “Backlog” where the request awaits assignment to a GIS for processing.
The information you have requested is part of a previously requested subject matter and will be preprocessed in accordance to the prior releasable information. *A previous request has already been made for the subject matter.
The request is currently in appeal status with the Office of Information Policy (OIP). *The FBI is not involved in the appeals process so please contact OIP’s Customer Service regarding appeal matters at (202) 514-3642.
The request is currently in litigation with Federal Court
The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file. *Correspondence and/or a release of records were recently mailed. If you recently had a change of address please contact us at foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov>.
Please contact me if you require further assistance.
Thank you,
*Material is provided for information purposes
David P. Sobonya
Public Information Officer/GIS
Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS)
FBI-Records Management Division
170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843
PIO: (540) 868-4593
Direct: (540) 868-4286
Fax: (540) 868-4391/4997
-
~WRD058
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Feb. 9, 2015. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1323257-000.
Thank you for your help.
From: Sobonya, David P. (RMD) (FBI)
Dear Mr. Musgrave,
Due to the voluminous requests that the FBI receives on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis, requesters are encouraged to utilize the online option to Check the Status of Your FOIPA Request by following the instructions in the attached sample. The last status update was performed on May 20, 2015.
Upon entering your FOIPA Request Number, the requester will be provided “ONE” of the following STATUS RESULTS:
The FBI’s FOI/PA Program is processing your request in accordance to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act guidelines. *The Disclosure analyst is making a line by line, page by page review of the records to determine if any redactions are required pursuant to subsections of Title 5, U. S. Code, Section 552 and 552a. Upon completion, the records are forwarded to a supervisor for review, if approved, a release will be forthcoming.
The FBI’s FOI/PA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents. You may be contacted via form letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply. *Requests are received by Initial Processing (IP) where they are opened, assigned a FOIPA Request Number and correspondence mailed to the requester. The IP analyst searches for, retrieves and reviews potentially responsive records. If responsive records are located, they are forwarded to Disclosure for processing.
The FBI’s FOIPA Program has identified potential responsive information to your request and awaits assignment to a Government Information Specialist (GIS) for further processing. *Responsive information was located and has been forwarded to the “Backlog” where the request awaits assignment to a GIS for processing.
The information you have requested is part of a previously requested subject matter and will be preprocessed in accordance to the prior releasable information. *A previous request has already been made for the subject matter.
The request is currently in appeal status with the Office of Information Policy (OIP). *The FBI is not involved in the appeals process so please contact OIP’s Customer Service regarding appeal matters at (202) 514-3642.
The request is currently in litigation with Federal Court
The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file. *Correspondence and/or a release of records were recently mailed. If you recently had a change of address please contact us at foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov>.
Please contact me if you require further assistance.
Thank you,
*Material is provided for information purposes
David P. Sobonya
Public Information Officer/GIS
Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS)
FBI-Records Management Division
170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843
PIO: (540) 868-4593
Direct: (540) 868-4286
Fax: (540) 868-4391/4997
-
~WRD000
From: MuckRock.com
To Whom It May Concern:
I wanted to follow up on the following Freedom of Information request, copied below, and originally submitted on Feb. 9, 2015. Please let me know when I can expect to receive a response, or if further clarification is needed. You had assigned it reference number #1323257-000.
Thank you for your help.
From: Sobonya, David P. (RMD) (FBI)
Dear Mr. Musgrave,
Due to the voluminous requests that the FBI receives on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis, requesters are encouraged to utilize the online option to Check the Status of Your FOIPA Request by following the instructions in the attached sample. The last status update was performed on June 17, 2015.
Upon entering your FOIPA Request Number, the requester will be provided “ONE” of the following STATUS RESULTS:
The FBI’s FOI/PA Program is processing your request in accordance to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act guidelines. *The Disclosure analyst is making a line by line, page by page review of the records to determine if any redactions are required pursuant to subsections of Title 5, U. S. Code, Section 552 and 552a. Upon completion, the records are forwarded to a supervisor for review, if approved, a release will be forthcoming.
The FBI’s FOI/PA Program is searching the FBI’s indices for potentially responsive documents. You may be contacted via form letter for all fees and/or negotiation issues that may apply. *Requests are received by Initial Processing (IP) where they are opened, assigned a FOIPA Request Number and correspondence mailed to the requester. The IP analyst searches for, retrieves and reviews potentially responsive records. If responsive records are located, they are forwarded to Disclosure for processing.
The FBI’s FOIPA Program has identified potential responsive information to your request and awaits assignment to a Government Information Specialist (GIS) for further processing. *Responsive information was located and has been forwarded to the “Backlog” where the request awaits assignment to a GIS for processing.
The information you have requested is part of a previously requested subject matter and will be preprocessed in accordance to the prior releasable information. *A previous request has already been made for the subject matter.
The request is currently in appeal status with the Office of Information Policy (OIP). *The FBI is not involved in the appeals process so please contact OIP’s Customer Service regarding appeal matters at (202) 514-3642.
The request is currently in litigation with Federal Court
The FOIPA number entered has been closed, and appropriate correspondence has been sent to the address on file. *Correspondence and/or a release of records were recently mailed. If you recently had a change of address please contact us at foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov<mailto:foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov>.
Please contact me if you require further assistance.
Thank you,
*Material is provided for information purposes
David P. Sobonya
Public Information Officer/GIS
Record/Information Dissemination Section (RIDS)
FBI-Records Management Division
170 Marcel Drive, Winchester, VA 22602-4843
PIO: (540) 868-4593
Direct: (540) 868-4286
Fax: (540) 868-4391/4997
-
~WRD000
From: Federal Bureau of Investigation
A no responsive documents response.
From: Shawn Musgrave
To Whom It May Concern:
This is an appeal of the FBI's search for responsive documents for my FOIA request regarding a summary of findings from the request for information (RFI) the FBI posted in January 2012 for a social media application to be used by the Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC). The FBI assigned my request the tracking number #1323257-000.
The relevant RFI can be found here (and attached): https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=64c7a3014f6e2944e30c05266eedd9b4&_cview=0
In response to my FOIA request, the FBI responded per the attached letter that it was unable to locate documents in the Central Records System. I appeal the adequacy of the FBI's search along two lines. First, I did not direct the FBI to restrict its search for responsive documents to the CRS. The FBI has been chastised by multiple courts for failure to conduct a good faith search in cases where the FBI FOIA office solely searched the CRS. (See, for instance, this April determination in a case pertaining to Gitmo documents: http://www.courthousenews.com/2015/04/30/Gitmo.pdf) The FOIA requires the FBI to perform an adequate search, and the agency has not provided any explanation as to why its search of the CRS meets the good faith requirement.
Second, in my initial request, I provided detailed information regarding the documents in question. This information both equips the FBI FOIA office to conduct a thorough search, as well as casts doubt on the claim that no responsive documents exist.
In the RFI linked above, the FBI indicated: "Finally, please note that this is not a request for proposals and no submissions will be accepted as offers for award. All submitted solutions should include price estimates for the respective solution(s) which will be reviewed and used for market research and planning purposes."
This purpose is also included in the original RFI description (attached).
In another document posted to the RFI listing (also attached), the FBI answered questions about the purpose of the RFI:
"The FBI will use responses to this RFI in conjunction with other market research to determine the capability of small businesses to meet this requirement.
[....]
[Meetings with particular vendors] will consist solely of vendor presentations and/or demonstrations and will be for the sole purpose of market research to give the FBI a better understanding of the technical capabilities currently available and the different approaches currently being used in the marketplace.
[....]
For the purpose of market research and pricing, please assume the FBI would require 200 users that could all access the system simultaneously. Ideally, the FBI would be able to increase the number of users over time.
Users would not be required to have individual user names and passwords, one generic user name and password would be sufficient for all 200 users as long as they are allowed to have simultaneous access. Please feel free to respond with other approaches that would achieve the same affect."
The document quoted above includes a number of similar responses which indicate that the FBI was attempting to determine space requirements and other specifications for the technology at hand.
As the purpose of the RFI was for the FBI to conduct market research, it is highly unlikely that no summary of such research was produced. If that is the case, then this entire RFI served no discernible purpose.
In light of the above, I ask that you remand this request back to the FBI for a good faith search and provision of responsive documents.
Respectfully,
Shawn Musgrave
Investigative reporter, MuckRock
From: OIP-NoReply
Please do not reply to this e-mail, as this account is not monitored. To ensure a prompt reply, please direct any inquiries to the contact information listed in the correspondence provided to you. Thank you.
From: OIP-NoReply
Please do not reply to this e-mail, as this account is not monitored. To ensure a prompt reply, please direct any inquiries to the contact information listed in the correspondence provided to you. Thank you.
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