Anonymous + general hacktivists 2009-2018 (Los Angeles Police Department)
| Tracking # |
19-6417 |
| 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 California 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 10 calendar days, as the statute requires.
Sincerely,
Emma Best
From: Los Angeles Police Department
City of Los Angeles
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Hi there
Your first City of Los Angeles record request (request number #19-6417) has been submitted.
It is currently unpublished and is not available for the general public to view.
Request #19-6417.
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<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at City of Los Angeles.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://www.nextrequest.com/support'>help page</a>
From: Los Angeles Police Department
City of Los Angeles
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Hi there
A message was sent to you regarding record request #19-6417:
Dear Requester:
We have reviewed your California Public Records Act request.
Please be advised that, pursuant to California Government Code Section 6253(c), we have found that “unusual circumstances” exist with respect to the request due to the need to search for, collect, and review the requested records from other Department entities which are separate from the office processing the request. Therefore, our staff will require the statutory fourteen days extension of time in which to respond. A determination concerning your request will be made as soon as possible.
If you have any questions regarding this correspondence, simply respond to this email.
Respectfully,
LAPD Discovery Section CPRA Unit
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<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at City of Los Angeles.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://www.nextrequest.com/support'>help page</a>
From: Los Angeles Police Department
City of Los Angeles
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Hi there
A document has been released for record request #19-6417:
* 19-6417 Resp Records_.pdf
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<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at City of Los Angeles.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://www.nextrequest.com/support'>help page</a>
From: Los Angeles Police Department
City of Los Angeles
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Hi there
Record request #19-6417 has been closed. The closure reason supplied was:
Dear Requester,
We have reviewed your request dated November 5, 2019 for “[d]ocuments mentioning or relating to Anonymous …or hacktivism ...generated between 1 January 2009 and 1 January 2019”.
Your request was made pursuant to the California Public Records Act (the Act). The Department is cognizant of its responsibilities under the Act. It recognizes the statutory scheme was enacted to maximize citizen access to the workings of government. The Act does not mandate disclosure of all documents within the government’s possession. Rather, by specific exemption and reference to other statutes, the Act recognizes that there are boundaries where the public’s right to access must be balanced against such weighty considerations as the right of privacy, a right of constitutional dimension under California Constitution, Article 1, Section 1. The law also exempts from disclosure records that are privileged or confidential or otherwise exempt under either express provisions of the Act or pursuant to applicable federal or state law, per California Government Code Sections 6254(b); 6254(c); 6254(f); 6254(k); and 6255.
The Department has made a determination on all items on your request. The Department’s response of each item is listed below.
* Internal reports, bulletins, warnings and alerts relating to Anonymous or hacktivism
Department Response to #1: The responsive documents have been provided to you. Please be advised that with regards to requests for Department e-mails, the Department only has access to e-mails from January 1, 2016 to present. E-mails that were sent or received prior to 2016 are not available to be queried or otherwise retrieved.
* Reports from the appropriate IT (Information Technology) or computer offices regarding possible cyber attacks by Anonymous or other hacktivists
Department Response to #2: In accordance with the California Government Code, Section 6254(f), records of investigations conducted by, or investigatory files compiled by, any local police agency for law enforcement purposes are exempt from disclosure. To the extent that records were located, they are either investigatory records themselves or properly part of an investigative file. Therefore, we are denying your request. The records may be provided pursuant to a subpoena or court order related to pending litigation.
* 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
Department Response to #3: A search was conducted and no records responsive to your request were located.
* Incident reports investigating possible hacking activity falling within the office's jurisdiction and allegedly carried out by members of Anonymous or other hacktivist groups
Department Response to #4: In accordance with the California Government Code, Section 6254(f), records of investigations conducted by, or investigatory files compiled by, any local police agency for law enforcement purposes are exempt from disclosure. To the extent that records were located, they are either investigatory records themselves or properly part of an investigative file. Therefore, we are denying your request. The records may be provided pursuant to a subpoena or court order related to pending litigation.
* 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
Department Response to #5: In accordance with the California Government Code, Section 6254(f), records of investigations conducted by, or investigatory files compiled by, any local police agency for law enforcement purposes are exempt from disclosure. To the extent that records were located, they are either investigatory records themselves or properly part of an investigative file. Therefore, we are denying your request. The records may be provided pursuant to a subpoena or court order related to pending litigation.
Your request to the Department is now considered closed. If you have any questions, please respond to this email.
Respectfully,
LAPD Discovery Section, CPRA Unit.
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<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at City of Los Angeles.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://www.nextrequest.com/support'>help page</a>
From: Los Angeles Police Department
City of Los Angeles
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Hi there
Record request #19-6417 has been published and is now available for public view.
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<em>Questions about your request?</em> Reply to this email or sign in to contact staff at City of Los Angeles.<br></br><em>Technical support:</em> See our <a href='https://www.nextrequest.com/support'>help page</a>
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