FOIA Mode: Results and General Availability

Watching you watch me. Sideways.

by H.C. van Pelt18 min read

To serve haveibeenflocked.com’s government customers, this website has had a secret feature called “FOIA mode” for a little while now. It was a government-grade product that delivers information to municipal lawyers in the style and format that they are most familiar with. Today, we are proud to announce the style’s general availability for all haveibeenflocked.com users.

FOIA mode is now available from the theme selector in the top right:

Theme menu showing FOIA mode

Enabling FOIA mode will style the page in … well, FOIA mode:

FOIA mode demonstrations

In FOIA mode, an advanced simulator will simulate printing the page in black and white, it will apply redactions at random, without legal justification, before finally simulating scanning it at an angle to prevent successful character recognition and text extraction.

It is certainly the most inefficient way to render data, but it appears the one the government prefers; Roma locuta, causa finita.

You’re welcome.

FOIAing the FOIAers

haveibeenflocked.com retains no data on its regular visitors, but the privacy policy does permit collecting and retaining data on government visitors.

Although accessing the public records maintained on your local police department’s transparency portal is impossible when you’re using a VPN, anyone is welcome to visit this site using one. In fact, the Houston HIDTA bulletin that was forwarded by the FBI notes:

Law enforcement should be cautious when accessing haveibeenflocked.com, as it is unknown what information the site may be collecting. It is recommended that this website not be accessed by any computer that is connected to a law enforcement agency network

Below are the aggregate numbers of requests from government networks since about two weeks after that bulletin was forwarded to the broader “intelligence community” by the FBI.

Note

To the U.S. Department of Justice (#6) and the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (#9): I’m glad you’re enjoying the website while ignoring your own security recommendation, and you’re welcome to keep doing so, but please don’t forget to reply to my emails and letters; they contain important information about your security recommendations being ignored.

Network Visits
City of Fort Collins 965
The County of Erie 878
King County Gov 866
The Municipal Communications Utility of the City of Cedar Falls Iowa 776
State of Minnesota 378
U. S. Department of Justice 375
City of Chicago 343
Michigan State Government 316
FBI Criminal Justice Information Services 287
State of Colorado General Government Computer 282
City of Tacoma 276
State of North Dakota ITD 271
Clackamas County 253
United States Department of Defense (DoD) 204
State of Kansas 191
Collier County Government 186
City of Seattle Dept. of Admin. Services 182
State of Arizona 175
City of Indianapolis 172
State Of Arkansas Division of Information Systems 166
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office 160
City of Houston 154
Department of Administrative Services 154
State of Washington 153
City of Concord 147
Florida Department of Management Services - Division of Telecommunications 141
City of Thornton 139
City of Westfield (Gas & Electric Light Department) 133
State of Utah 131
City of Yakima 130
Grant County Public Utility District 124
Yakima County 114
City of Arvada 105
STATE OF DELAWARE 105
Snohomish County Government 104
Washington County Oregon 102
Government of the District of Columbia 101
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 97
City of Virginia Beach Virginia 95
Fairfax County Dept of Information Technology 95
CLARKSVILLE DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICITY 90
California Department of Technology 89
City of St. Louis 88
State of Idaho 84
Palm Beach County 83
State of WI Dept. of Administration 81
City of Yuma 77
Metropolitan Tulsa Electronic Network 74
City of Mesa 73
City of North Kansas City MO 73
Local Government Information Systems Association 72
City of Vallejo A municipal corporation 71
Manatee County Government 71
State of Nebraska / Office of the CIO 71
COUNTY OF SAN BERNARDINO 68
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department 68
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office 68
State of New Hampshire 68
City of Sunnyvale 67
Volusia County Clerk of the Courts 65
City of Rock Hill SC 63
City of Daytona Beach 61
City of Scottsdale 59
City of Boston 56
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 56
Greenville County 56
City of Colorado Springs 55
Hennepin County 55
City of Philadelphia 54
South Dakota State Government 53
City of Baytown 52
City of Phoenix 50
Alameda County 49
The City of Wadsworth 49
City of Austin Texas 48
Dallas County Of 48
Cherokee County Electric Cooperative Association 47
San Diego County Office of Education 46
City of Buckeye 45
City of Irvine 45
Pima County 45
The City of New York 44
City of New Smyrna Beach 43
City of Redmond Washington 43
Hamilton County Communications Inc 42
Jackson County Rural Electric Membership Corporation 42
City of Anaheim 41
Riverside County Office of Education 41
City of Pella 40
Public Utility District No. 1 of Okanogan County 40
CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER 39
City of Bardstown Kentucky 39
United States Department of the Treasury 39
County of Monroe 38
Jefferson County Commission 38
State of Missouri Office of Administration 38
Boulder County Government 37
State of South Carolina 37
City of LaGrange Georgia 36
Solano County Office of Education 36
Navy Network Information Center (NNIC) 35
State of Oregon 35
City of Akron 34
City of Toledo 34
Gwinnett County Public Schools 34
OCBA 33
City of Griffin 32
CACI Inc. Federal 31
City of Wyandotte 31
Federal Aviation Administration 31
Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners 31
Weld County Government 31
City of Columbus 30
San Francisco Department of Telecommunications and Information Services 30
U.S. Department of the Interior 30
City of Los Angeles 27
City of Morganton 27
City of Orlando - Information Systems 27
Contra Costa County Office of Education 27
Madera County Office of Education 27
Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) 27
Santa Clara County 27
State of Wyoming Department A&I 27
City of Redding 26
Baltimore County Government 25
European Police Office (EuroPol) 25
Pinal County Arizona 24
Board of Commissioners of the County of Allen 23
City of Monroe 23
County of Riverside 23
Fort Bend County 23
Pierce County 23
Stafford County Public Schools 23
County Of Dutchess NY 22
CGI Federal 21
City of Hudson Ohio 21
City of Iowa City 21
City of Nampa 21
City of Rock Falls 21
City of Wichita 21
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 21
Headquarters USAISC 21
State of Connecticut 21
Tompkins County 21
U.S. Department of Energy 21
County of San Bernardino 20
Electric Plant Board of the City of Glasgow Kentucky 20
City of Pearland 19
City of Pharr TX 19
County of Albemarle 19
Department of Public Health 19
City of Huntington Beach 18
County of Loudoun Virginia 18
City of Anacortes 17
County of Kane 17
University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) 17
Bulloch County Rural Telephone Cooperative Inc 16
CITY OF MADISON 16
City of Plano Texas 16
City of Santa Cruz 16
Fresno County Sheriff’s Office 16
Luzerne County 16
State of Nevada 16
City of El Paso 15
City of Portland 15
City of Richardson 15
City of Tucson 15
Dutchess County BOCES 15
Washoe County 15
Alameda County Office of Education 14
City and County of Honolulu 14
City of Chandler 14
City of Eau Claire 14
City of Olathe 14
State of New Mexico 14
United States Capitol Police 14
City of Des Moines 13
City of Raleigh 13
City of Sandy 13
Deschutes County 13
Douglas County PUD 13
Maricopa County Government 13
Orange County Department of Education 13
Orange County Florida 13
Pinellas County Government 13
Washington County Cooperative Library Services 13
4-County Electric Power Association 12
City of Roseville - Minnesota 12
County of Napa MIS 12
County of San Luis Obispo 12
Department of Homeland Security 12
Fairfax County Public Schools 12
Milwaukee County Government 12
Montgomery County Government Maryland 12
Stanislaus County Office of Education 12
City of Albuquerque 11
City of Columbia MO 11
Johnson County Community College 11
Leon County Board of County Commisioners 11
Albemarle County Public Schools 10
City of Fort Worth 10
City of Gainesville 10
City of Garden Grove 10
City of San Diego 10
Clay County Connect Inc 10
Electric Plant Board of the city of Franklin Kentucky 10
McHenry County 10
Rhode Island State Police 10
Solano County 10
State of NC - State Telecommunications Services 10
City of Jacksonville Florida 9
City of Palo Alto 9
County of Placer 9
Los Angeles County Office of Education 9
Montgomery County Intermediate Unit 9
Sedgwick County Information Services 9
Warren County Board of Commissioners 9
Berks County Intermediate Unit 8
Bucks County Community College 8
City of Cartersville 8
City of Irving 8
City of Tulsa 8
Institute for Defense Analyses 8
Macomb County Michigan 8
Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County Tennessee 8
Santa Barbara County Education Office 8
Tarrant County 8
The School District of Palm Beach County 8
U.S. Department of State 8
Alachua County BOCC 7
Amazon Data Services Ireland Ltd 7
Beacon Federal Credit Union 7
Black Hills Federal Credit Union 7
California Department of Transportation 7
City of Burbank 7
City of Charlotte 7
City of Greenville NC 7
County of Bergen 7
County of Henrico 7
Cuyahoga County Information Services center 7
Hennepin County Medical Center 7
Jefferson County Colorado 7
Lane County 7
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government 7
Monroe County Community School Corporation 7
Prince William County Public Schools 7
State of Connecticut Judicial Branch 7
State of Montana 7
Wisconsin Department of Justice 7
Air Force Systems Networking 6
Arkansas Department of Transportation 6
Blount County Government 6
City of Buffalo 6
City of Greensboro NC 6
City of Mont Belvieu 6
City of Oakland 6
City of Roseville 6
CITY OF ST. CLOUD 6
Clark County Computer Connections 6
Collier County Public Schools 6
COUNTY OF SONOMA 6
County of Ventura 6
County of Westchester 6
East Baton Rouge Sheriff 6
Frederick County Government 6
Harris County Hospital District 6
Harris County Public Library 6
Larimer County Government 6
LOS ANGELES COUNTY - INTERNAL SERVICESDIVISION 6
MIFFLIN COUNTY WIRELESS LLC 6
Ministry of Education - EMISC 6
Monmouth County 6
New York City Police Department 6
PROCERGS - Cia de Processamento de Dados do RGS 6
Santa Barbara County 6
Sarasota County Government 6
Tri-County Metropolitan Transit District 6
City of Amarillo 5
City of El Reno 5
City of San Jose 5
Cook County 5
County of Madera 5
Delaware Division of Libraries State of Delaware 5
Douglas County School District RE.1 5
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation 5
Fresno County Office of Education 5
Griggs County Telephone Co 5
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc 5
Madison County Telephone Company 5
Maricopa County Community College District 5
Newaygo County Regional Educational Service Agency 5
Santa Clara County Office of Education 5
State of Alabama Office of Information Technology 5
State of Hawaii 5
State of New Jersey Judiciary 5
STEUBEN COUNTY RURAL ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION 5
Anne Arundel County Maryland 4
Brazos County 4
California Department of Justice 4
CITY OF CARROLLTON - TEXAS 4
City of Charlottesville 4
City of Cookeville 4
City of Longmont 4
City of Maricopa 4
City of Mesquite Texas 4
City of Modesto 4
City of Pittsburgh 4
City of Radford 4
City of Rocklin 4
City of Savannah 4
City of Winston-Salem 4
DeKalb County School District 4
Federal Reserve Board 4
Franklin County 4
Hamilton County Ohio 4
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department 4
McHenry County College District 528 4
Navy Federal Credit Union 4
Polk County Public Schools 4
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union 4
The County of El Paso 4
Travis County Texas 4
Washington County Board of Education 4
Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency 4
Adams County Colorado 3
CALUMET COUNTY 3
City of Clovis 3
CITY OF FALLS CHURCH 3
City of Marshall 3
City of Pasadena 3
City of Tampa Florida 3
Clark County Nevada 3
Clark County School District 3
Columbia County Georgia 3
County of Marin 3
County of Monterey 3
County of Montgomery 3
DeKalb County Georgia 3
Hamilton County 3
Lewis County PUD 3
LOUISVILLE AND JEFFERSON COUNTY METROPOLITAN SEWER DISTRICT 3
Lubbock County 3
Mapleton School District No. 1 in the county of Adams & St 3
Nassau County BOCES 3
National Credit Union Administration 3
Nova Scotia Department of Education 3
Nova Scotia Provincial Government 3
Prince William County Government Department of IT (DoIT) 3
Randolph-Brooks Federal Credit Union 3
San Joaquin County 3
Security Service Federal Credit Union 3
Texas Department of Information Resources 3
The Tri-County Telephone Association Inc 3
Tri-County Fiber Communications LLC 3
Utilities Board of the City of Sylacauga 3
Washington State Department of Transportation 3
Alameda County Library 2
ANGELINA COUNTY 2
Arlington County Government 2
Broward County 2
Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22 2
Carroll County Government 2
City of Fresno 2
City of Georgetown 2
City of Hampton Virginia 2
City of Hilliard 2
City of Hillsboro 2
City of Mountain View 2
CITY OF NORTH RICHLAND HILLS 2
County of Morris OIT 2
County of Tulare 2
East Allen County Schools 2
Howard County Maryland 2
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2
Miami-Dade County 2
Monroe County 2
Municipality of the County of Pictou 2
Santa Cruz County Office of Education 2
St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency 2
Superior Court of California County of Sacramento 2
Wake County Public School System 2
ACT Government InTACT Group 1
Buffalo & Erie County Public Library 1
CITY OF DOTHAN 1
City of Hope Medical Center 1
City of Murphy 1
County Broadband Ltd 1
County of Lake 1
General Department of Taxation 1
Harris County 1
Hillsborough County Aviation Authority 1
Jasper County REMC 1
SERVICO FEDERAL DE PROCESSAMENTO DE DADOS - SERPRO 1
SERVITELCONET CIA. LTDA 1
State of Louisiana Office of Technology Services 1
UTAH COMMUNITY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 1