Techdirt Files FOIA Requests Concerning ICE 'Anti-Piracy' Videos
from the digging-in dept
Earlier today, I filed three Freedom of Information requests concerning the infamous "anti-piracy PSA" that Homeland Security's ICE division started placing on domains it seized. As we noted at the time, the videos were not new and not created by ICE. Instead, they were part of a campaign put together by New York City with the help of NBC Universal and the MPAA. The scripts of the videos were misleading, and I was troubled by the idea that the federal government would be playing corporately produced and funded propaganda, with the imprimatur of the Department of Homeland Security. I asked a series of friendly (non-aggressive) questions to Brian Hale, officially the spokesperson for ICE within the Department of Homeland Security about where they got the video and how much was paid for it. Hale and Homeland Security apparently decided not to comment at all, despite multiple email requests.Separately, I made requests to the City of New York, to get their side of the story, but after being asked who I was reporting for, what "the nature" of my story was and who else I was talking to (all of which I answered honestly), I received no further response from the City of New York.
Thus, the three Freedom of Information requests -- filed using the new system from MuckRock.com, an open government tool that seeks to publish documents retrieved via such requests and which recently built a tool to make it easier to make such requests (which I'm now testing) -- are as follows:
- A FOIA request to the Department of Homeland Security, concerning the details of any licensing agreement with the City of New York or with NBC Universal directly.
- A request under NY State's Freedom of Information Law concerning details of any licensing agreement with Homeland Security concerning the same videos.
- Separately, a second request to NYC, concerning communications between the Mayor's Office and NBC Universal or the MPAA concerning the details behind those videos as well
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: dhs, foia, freedom of information, new york city
Companies: mpaa, nbc universal
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
"hey Bob, that guy that writes the piracy love blog is on the phone again..."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
"hey Bob, that guy thinks the word freetard is offensive to the handi-capable..."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
Maybe if you LOL enough you'll increase your self esteem to the level that most human beings achieve in the 8th grade.
(and yes, I LOL'ed too because I'm also mentally stuck in the 8th grade -- or thereabouts)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Response
> love blog is on the phone again..."
So you're suggesting the government should only respond to publications with whose point of view it agrees?
Despite being granted no such discretion in the FOIA law?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Response
Only give information to people that agree with you unless otherwise forced by stupid "law." Sharing information leads to informed debate which is the last thing we want. Besides pirates share information, you dont want to be a pirate do you?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Response
> only respond to publications with whose point
> of view it agrees?
No. He's suggesting that the government is so deeply connected with the copyright maximalists that they call them to laugh about a lawful FOIA request.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I filed three Freedom of Information requests
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: I filed three Freedom of Information requests
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: I filed three Freedom of Information requests
Which was placed there using completely legitimate "court documents" that just happen to be filed over... ummmm... hmmm... well that isn't important, we'll get back to you on the location later.
(*subnote offender: see entry for 'anyone who questions government activities or actions' in local references)
--sarcasm over, returning to your normally scheduled program--
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Not happening
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Not happening
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Not happening
But it will create a few jobs... so the plan is a success. Hooray!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Not happening
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Not happening
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Not happening
Some of them have been working in the dark for years now.
No light bulbs necessary.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Not happening
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
"Techdirt Files..."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: "Techdirt Files..."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: "Techdirt Files..."
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: I certain
Hate to break this to ya bud, but your best chance to "kill the recording industry" was about 7-8 years ago.
And it didn't happen.
And it quite obviously isn't going to happen now.
boo-hoo :(
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
But we're getting that problem addressed.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
Right?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
no wonders everything you say sounds so stupid
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Gorton
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
remind me, how did that work out for him?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
Care to try again?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
Yeah, and the mob doesn't exist.
I'll give you that on paper, "legally" they're non-profit. But that's just because the labels needed a non-profit group to funnel all that money to politicians.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
and scientology is a religion
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
All that means is that they don't pay taxes.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
If I wasn't at work, I'd find a Youtube link to the Monty Python "I'm not dead yet" scene.
...I feel happy! I feeeeeeeel happy! I feeeeeeel
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
you're not fooling anyone!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re: Re: I certain
When we had 'records' at least we could get some good, though expensive, music by the 'recording industry' since they were not wasting all their money on their egos, or legal fishing expeditions and instead spent it on the actual music industry and strategic positioning.. ie: Not going to Youtube/***IDOL to grab the latest wannabee star
The Music Industry will never die, humanity has too much of a cultural history with music. The Recording Industry on the other hand.. Ever seen what happens when you cut a chickens head off? Just before it falls over stone dead and plucked.. it races around all over the p[lace doing nothing much but spewing out gore and bile onto anything it touches.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: I certain
ROTFLMAO! You actually believe that bull your touting? Hilarious.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: I certain
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
FOIA Request
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: FOIA Request
To your second "nothing".
To your third "yes".
Bear in mind that FOIA is the name associated with the federal government.
Each state generally has its own nomenclature.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: FOIA Request
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Aren't they the ones?
Interesting that they wouldn't respond then when we are asking them to be open about operations that are funded with OUR tax dollars.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Aren't they the ones?
that is why they hide so much
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Response time
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Bravo
So if this video is hosted on a government site, can it be taken down by ICE, because that would truly be funny.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Bravo
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Bravo
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
1. The government will attempt to block MuckRock.com, presumably by declaring that they arbitrarily don't have to obey FOIA requests associated with them.
2. A lawsuit (with the support of interested parties like the EFF) will, after a lengthy court battle, declare that the government does, in fact, have to respond to FOIA requests.
3. The government will try somewhere between 0 and 3 more attempts to get out of responding to the FOIA requests. Each time, it will be decided (at taxpayer's expense) that they do, in fact, have to respond to FOIA requests.
4. After kicking and screaming for months, the government will finally give in and respond to the FOIA requests, which will reveal nothing particularly controversial.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
What happens when they present a bill for $1,000,000?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
ICE Technological Prowess
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9216721/Computer_glitch_forces_U.S._to_cancel_visa _lottery_results
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: ICE Technological Prowess
You mean to tell me, we have a lottery to allow people in the US...
We don't get them for any skill...
We don't get them for any number of jobs that they might be good for society...
We get them because they had the most luck.
*facepalm*
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: ICE Technological Prowess
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Do they have it?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Gee
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Gee
Odd statement. This has nothing to do with defending piracy.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]