[URL="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/11/1215421/-Want-to-See-Your-NSA-or-FBI-File-Here-s-How"]Source[/URL] (June 2013)
[URL="http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2012/02/09/activist-requests-her-fbi-file-learns-what-color-hat-she-was-wearing-when-she-went-to-see-lord-of-the-rings"]Additonal news source[/URL]
[quote=DailyKos]Have you ever Tweeted a politically subversive message, attended a protest, or signed an oppositional petition? If so, you may have a dedicated file on you kept by the FBI and/or the NSA.
With a simple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, any U.S. citizen can obtain one's NSA or FBI file, if such a file exists.
While an appropriate level of cynicism may be warranted concerning the level of transparency one should expect from such a request – should your file be substantial – it is the law that your complete file be provided to you upon request.
Demand that the law be followed, for it is your right as a citizen to know this information.[/quote]
Initially, I was going to post this article from the DailyKos and leave it at that but due to the vauge info from the article, I decided to supplement and transform this newsthread with much more information and also make it a little project we can all participate in.
**************
Under the Privacy Act you are entitled to obtain any information that any federal agency has obtained on you. If, for any reason your request is denied (wont happen to you; its extremely rare with FBI files), they must state why. Reasons for denial is usually because your file is part of an ongoing investigation or because releasing the information contravenes on the "interests of national security," either way it means you should probably get off the radar and/or flee the country because it's tantamount to being priorty #1.
You are not guaranteed to get shit. The vast majority of the people posting in this thread will end up having the agencies saying they've got nothing on file for you, which shouldn't come off as a surprise if all you do is sit at home and do nothing. But if you're such a narcissist that you actually think an agency is dying to know what you've been up to while browsing FP, then go for it.
If you're somewhat politically active (no matter how minor) and done something or been somewhere that you think would catch the eyes of the fed then you should probably try anyways, it doesn't hurt and it's your right. There's been many stories of people being shocked of how accurate an FBI file chronologically displayed someone's activities, or that merely being in that leftist club back in college was enough to warrant an FBI file. For example, [URL="http://www.feminisnt.com/2012/highlights-from-my-bizarre-fbi-file-and-how-to-foia-your-own/"]an active feminist who requested her file, discovered in her [B]436-pages FBI doc[/B] the color of her hat she wore when she saw the Lord of Rings[/URL]
[IMG]http://www.feminisnt.com/wp-content/uploads/fbi-trash.jpg[/IMG]
(above is an excerpt from her file, you can see more [URL="http://www.feminisnt.com/2012/highlights-from-my-bizarre-fbi-file-and-how-to-foia-your-own/"]here[/URL])
You can send a request to [I]any[/I] agency, but anything beyond the FBI would be unnecessary and unlikely to yield a file. If any agency were to retrieve a file for you, it'd be the FBI.
[TABLE="width: 0, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD][B]How do I get my file?[/B][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
You must be a US Citizen. Yeah it sucks, and yeah it's likely that the CIA and NSA have loads of data on European citizens too, but there's nothing you can do about it.
[B]For the FBI[/B]
- Fill out this [URL="http://www.fbi.gov/foia/u.s.-department-of-justice-form-361-certification-of-identity"]extremely short form[/URL] and then print it to sign it.
- Scan it, and send it to this email as an attachment: [EMAIL="foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov"]foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov[/EMAIL] with "Privacy Act request" as the subject
Though not required and somewhat redundant, you should probably include this in the email body anyways
[quote]Attention:
This email constitutes a request under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act , 5 U.S.C. § 552a, on behalf of myself. My penalty of perjury statement, signature and any other required pertinent information is in the attached U.S. Department of Justice Certification of Identity Form DOJ-361.
I request disclosure of any records that were prepared, received, transmitted, collected and/or maintained by the FBI, concerning me or my activities.
I am an individual seeking information for personal use. The maximum amount I am willing to pay for processing of this request and copying fees is $10. Please notify me in advance if fees are expected to exceed that amount.
[/quote]
And you're done!
The Privacy Act grants federal agencies permission to charge money for copying fees, but fees are never assessed so don't worry if you're broke, it's just good practice to leave the offer of payment there just in case. Even the chick above who obtained 436 pages of herself offered to pay $30 to the FBI, but she ultimately was not required to pay a single cent for her files simply because it isn't worth the costs of billing you.
I'm not going to bother including the NSA or CIA because it's a waste of time. For one, the NSA enjoys special exemptions so your request will likely be denied with smugness. Two, the CIA requires that you print and stamp/mail it to them, is it worth the effort? They're not [I]supposed[/I] to spy domestically anyways so it most likely yield no results for you. But if you insist, [URL="http://www.foia.cia.gov/privacy_request"]CIA[/URL] and [URL="http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/foia/submit_privacy_act_request/"]NSA[/URL] instructions are hyperlinked.
Having traveled to several political hotspots across the globe and having also been involved in political stuff domestically, I wouldn't be surprised if my request did yield some results. I will bump this thread a few months later with my results, and you should too. Expect to recieve a confirmation in the mail a few weeks later after your request.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/EbYqciM.png[/img]
[QUOTE=Starpluck;41237631]
You must be a US Citizen. Yeah it sucks, and yeah it's likely that the CIA and NSA have loads of data on European citizens too, but there's nothing you can do about it.
[/QUOTE]
That sucks, this should be an interesting thread though
Pity I can't get anything as an Australian
Honestly too scared to do it because I'm terrified of what my file would say, if anything.
[QUOTE=super secret fbi files on dietrich]
[I]
[U]15:45 [/U]- SUBJECT WAS OBSERVED IN WAL-MART PARKING LOT WITH CART FULL OF TV DINNERS AND FROZEN PIZZAS. FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS MONTH.
[U]09:37[/U] - SUBJECT WAS OBSERVED LOOKING TO THE LEFT, TO THE RIGHT, BEHIND HIM, AND THEN QUICKLY PICKING HIS NOSE AND WIPING IT ON HIS PANTS.
[U]07:38[/U] - SUBJECT WAS OBSERVED FREQUENTING STRANGE WEBSITE [B][url]http://www.facepunch.com/[/url][/B]
[/I]
[/QUOTE]
:tinfoil:
Fapped
Fapped
Fapped
Got up for food
Can all US Facepunch members please do this?
I'm planning on doing it. I travel across the globe to many countries, but I doubt they have anything on me.
Subject seen picking up suspicious box.
Sent a snooper to check on the suspcious box.
Suspicious box contained some huge, wierd looking dildos.
My mother is also Russian and came here illegally during the Cold War so they may have something on her too.
[editline]29th June 2013[/editline]
Way to ruin my automerge
To actually have a database of people watching people go to the movies, how big of a task force do they have for monitoring and spying on people's every move?
Probably nothing in there on me other than a blip that says I'm related to government employees (my parents).
The curiosity's still there, but I'm positive it'd just be a waste of time. I don't really do anything...
I'm Arab so they most likely watch me more then everybody. If I had a computer I'll check my file.
God, I'd love to see what they have on me.
And if the FBI weren't tracking you before you requested your file, they sure are now.
maybe i've been running a drug ring and i haven't even known
i gotta find out
Do we really have to print it out, hand-fill it, and scan it? It would be a lot easier to just type the information in with PS or PDN, but I don't know if that changes the authenticity or whatever
edit
Ah wait, downloading it and opening it prompts text fields
I'm a white teenage kid that pirates lots of hip-hop music, talks about psychedelic drugs and nootropics a lot, pops adderall and smokes pot on occasion, and has done absolutely nothing that would cause the government to be suspicious of me.
...so I probably have around 30 pages.
[QUOTE=Noss;41237918]And if the FBI weren't tracking you before you requested your file, they sure are now.[/QUOTE]
They will start tracking you sooner or later anyway.
I'll do it, just for shits and giggles. I'm not much of an activist, but I am a radical.
[QUOTE=Magra55;41237943]Do we really have to print it out, hand-fill it, and scan it? It would be a lot easier to just type the information in with PS or PDN, but I don't know if that changes the authenticity or whatever
edit
Ah wait, downloading it and opening it prompts text fields[/QUOTE]
There's text fields for everything except the signature prompt which indicates you're still goinna have to sign it with pen.
[URL]http://www.fbi.gov/foia/requesting-fbi-records[/URL]
[quote]
E-mail ([B]scanned copy[/B]): [EMAIL="foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov"]foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov[/EMAIL][/quote]
I'm going to send in one of these things tonight and see if they have anything on me.
Considering they followed that girl around and took pictures of her just for being in a tiny protest, they likely have something on me since I've very loudly criticized the government and state policies in the mall before during conversations in the mall.
[editline]29th June 2013[/editline]
Do they email this, or send it via mail? It'd be nice to know so I could put my PO box.
[QUOTE=download;41237666]Pity I can't get anything as an Australian[/QUOTE]
Mine would probably been
SUBJECT seen waiting for bus
SUBJECT seen telling a homeless man that he has no change for the bus
Jesus, reading that Furry Girl's blog this shit is fucked up, following her for 5 days and even scouting her apartment. Litterally noting down everything, even when she stands up to pick up some thrash and throw it in the thrash can.
Apparently it also takes like a year or so for the files to get to you, so you might want some patience.
I'm in the UK, I wish I could read my file
"Subject walked through woods, kicked pinecone"
"Subject is smoking what we believe to be a marijuana cigarette, carrying what we believe to be weed needles"
"Subject is now urinating on a tree. Possible extremist vandalism behavior, file for extra tracking"
I rarely leave my house (really only for school, going to the store), so I'm doubtful there'd be anything on me. Unless me rarely leaving my home has them keeping an eye on me for when I do. Still, I'll send one anyway and see if there's anything fun there.
[QUOTE=Sir_takeslot;41237988]I'm going to send in one of these things tonight and see if they have anything on me.
Considering they followed that girl around and took pictures of her just for being in a tiny protest, they likely have something on me since I've very loudly criticized the government and state policies in the mall before during conversations in the mall.
[editline]29th June 2013[/editline]
Do they email this, or send it via mail? It'd be nice to know so I could put my PO box.[/QUOTE]
They already know where you live.
[QUOTE=Starpluck;41237631]The vast majority of the people posting in this thread will end up having the agencies saying they've got nothing on file for you, which shouldn't come off as a surprise if all you do is sit at home and do nothing.[/QUOTE]
lol vast majority
that's basically everyone
actually that is everyone
Does the UK version of FoIA mean we can get anything useful about what MI5 have on us?
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;41238347]Does the UK version of FoIA mean we can get anything useful about what MI5 have on us?[/QUOTE]
Probably, but it will be hid so deep that there is really no point.
[QUOTE=Teddybeer;41238120]Mainly collect data on foreign individuals.
Only allow US citizens ask what they have been collecting.[/QUOTE]
That's just the nature of how freedom of information laws work. I wouldn't expect an American to be able to do a FOI request in another country.
[editline]29th June 2013[/editline]
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;41238347]Does the UK version of FoIA mean we can get anything useful about what MI5 have on us?[/QUOTE]
From Wikipedia (cant be bothered to find the proper source)
[quote]
Absolute exemptions
Information relating to or dealing with security matters (s.23)
[/quote]
The data protection act says something similar.
So probably not.
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