Anonymous + general hacktivists 2009-2018 (Vermont State Police)
| 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 Vermont Public Records 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 3 business days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Emma Best
From: Vermont State Police
Emma Best
Via Email: requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>
Dear Ms. Best,
I am writing regarding your public records request, received May 30, 2019 for "[d]ocuments 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;
1. Reports from the appropriate IT (Information Technology) or computer offices regarding possible cyber attacks by Anonymous or other hacktivists;
1. 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;
1. Incident reports investigating possible hacking activity falling within the office's jurisdiction and allegedly carried out by members of Anonymous or other hacktivist groups;
1. 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
Because of the potential "need to search for, collect, and appropriately examine a voluminous amount of separate and distinct records that are demanded in a single request," and "the need for consultation, which shall be conducted with all practicable speed, with another agency having a substantial interest in the determination of the request," the ten business day extension is invoked to process your request. See 1 V.S.A. § 318(b)(5)(B) and (C).
Depending on the amount of records requiring review, we may need additional time beyond the ten days. If this circumstance arises, we will notify you as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Ms. Grier D. Martin
Public Records Request Specialist
Vermont Department of Public Safety
45 State Drive
Waterbury, VT 05671
Phone: (802) 241-5378
Email: Grier.Martin@vermont.gov<mailto:Grier.Martin@vermont.gov>
The information transmitted by the following e-mail is intended only for the addressee and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email message is strictly prohibited. If you received this communication in error, please contact us immediately at 802-244-8727 and delete this email from your computer or network system. Thank you.
From: Vermont State Police
Emma Best
Via Email: requests@muckrock.com<mailto:requests@muckrock.com>
Dear Ms. Best,
I am writing regarding your public records request, received May 30, 2019 for "[d]ocuments 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;
1. Reports from the appropriate IT (Information Technology) or computer offices regarding possible cyber attacks by Anonymous or other hacktivists;
1. 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;
1. Incident reports investigating possible hacking activity falling within the office's jurisdiction and allegedly carried out by members of Anonymous or other hacktivist groups;
1. 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.
Please find attached the following records which fall within the scope of your request:
* Vermont Intelligence Center Cyber Advisory, dated February 25, 2015, entitled "'Anonymous' calls for targeting of FBI Call Centers and Child Protective Services May Impact State/Local Law Enforcement Call Centers";
* Vermont Intelligence Center document, dated August 18, 2014, entitled "Hacktivists Threaten Law Enforcement Officials";
* Vermont Information & Analysis Center Intelligence Bulletin, dated March 18, 2013, entitled "Anonymous Threatens to Dump Credit Card Details of Many from Law Enforcement."
The Department of Public Safety has now released all records which fall within the scope of your request, and we consider your request closed.
Sincerely,
Ms. Grier D. Martin
Public Records Request Specialist
Vermont Department of Public Safety
45 State Drive
Waterbury, VT 05671
Phone: (802) 241-5378
Email: Grier.Martin@vermont.gov<mailto:Grier.Martin@vermont.gov>
The information transmitted by the following e-mail is intended only for the addressee and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email message is strictly prohibited. If you received this communication in error, please contact us immediately at 802-244-8727 and delete this email from your computer or network system. Thank you.
From: Emma North-Best
Hi,
Thanks so much for your help with this request! I really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Emma Best
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