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How a Video Game About Sheep Exposes the FBI's Broken FOIA System (dailydot.com)
blottsie writes from a report via Daily Dot: Earlier this year, the FBI released a free, online video game featuring sheep in its attempts to fight terrorism recruitment efforts. The game is called The Slippery Slope of Violent Extremism, and it is a real thing that exists. You can play it here. After journalists filed a FOIA request to find out more about the game, the FBI said it would take two years to respond -- a staggeringly long wait that helps expose how the Bureau actively avoids responding to open-records requests. The information requested asked for "all documents -- specifically memos, email correspondence, and budgets -- around the development, release, and public reception of the FBI's Slippery Slope game. It's the one with the sheep." There are several reasons why it would take two years to respond. One reason is because of the lack of requests. "If 500 people want to have the FBI file on a famous dead person, that's going to be available, and it's going to be available quickly," J. Pat Brown, an employee at MuckRock, a nonprofit that helps journalists, researchers, good government groups, and interested members of the public make FOIA requests of government agencies, said. "But basic requests about agency activities are pushed into their own pile," adds Daily Dot. Another part of the problem has to do with the outdated technology used by government agencies. "Many of the computers the FBI is using to search for this material are from the 1980s and lack graphical interfaces. Outdated technology being a hurdle to government transparency is common across many federal agencies. The CIA only accepts FOIA request by fax machine, for example," reports Daily Dot. "In 2013, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which oversees the NSA among other agencies, was unable to accept FOIA requests for months because its fax machine broke and it had to wait until the next fiscal year to get it replaced." What's more is that government agencies are often not required to disclose information after long wait times for processing FOIAs. "As Ginger McCall of the Electronic Privacy Information Center told the Daily Dot in 2014, she once waited four years with near total silence on a FOIA request about the TSA's airport body-scanner technology only to get a note out of the blue from TSA saying she had to respond with 30 days if she wanted them to continue processing her request," reports Daily Dot. "When McCall reached out to others who had made FOIA requests to agencies under the Department of Homeland Security umbrella, they reported similar experiences."
It is working exactly as designed, to stonewall.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
Vote Trump 2016 to end this madness
Lets hear it for the most transparent administration in history!
"all documents -- specifically memos, email correspondence, and budgets -- around the development, release, and public reception of the FBI's Slippery Slope game. It's the one with the sheep.
That request is almost impossible to fulfill. Besides the part of pulling all of this information, consider that each document must be read, deliberately, by someone who understands the program adequately to determine if any combination of information reveals anything classified. That means it has to be correlated with contracting information, requirements documentation and classification guidance. While it's possible that everything in the program itself is unclassified, what drove the creation undoubtedly includes classified information. If there's something in there, say, specifically targeted at The Global Islamic Genocide Front, then the reviewers must determine if anything released will point back to classified information about that organization ... for every document requested. And, unlike Hilary, they actually have to comply with the law and can't email you classified information. As for the fax machine example ... I completely believe it's true; it would be a misappropriation of funds to buy a fax machine if you don't have that chunk of cash for a fax machine. In a time of shrinking budgets, we really do end up scrapping over hundreds of dollars. We ran out of toilet paper a week before the end of the FY.
"Distorted Logic: Our group is under attack" - Same shit the FBI spews in every press release. Violent extremists: identified.
What? No source code?
The CIA only accepts FOIA request by fax machine, for example," reports Daily Dot. "In 2013, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which oversees the NSA among other agencies, was unable to accept FOIA requests for months because its fax machine broke and it had to wait until the next fiscal year to get it replaced."
My jaw literally dropped. If I had seen that in a movie, I would have though it was a pretty funny parody of the kind of thing that really goes on. But actual reality?
The CIA only accepts FOIA request by fax machine, for example
For those wondering, fax machines were an archaic communications technology. If you think of them as an intermediate step between cuneiform tablets and email then that pretty much covers it.
Because I'm playing the game right now, and it's the funniest thing I've seen in a while. Play a game trying to steer a greased sheep through a Dire Straits music video, all the while being told that the enemy is trying to brainwash me. It feels eerily similar to old-school public service announcements that have a message completely unrelated to the content delivered with it.
"Don't be a puppet!" Hilarious. Who in their right mind would think this would stop terrorists?
The spent money on this flash game?!?
The game is terrible. The controls, graphics, and game play are all shit.
And can someone explain to me what this has to do with fighting extremism?
Seems like a colossal waste of tax payer money.
The sheep are starting to ask questions.
Have gnu, will travel.
The controls for that game are horrible. If it took more than a day and $500 to create then taxpayers should be ticked.
Better known as 318230.
I made legendary jihadist in 12 rounds! I dare you to beat my high score!
>The CIA only accepts FOIA request by fax machine
How much trouble would you be in if you black faxed CIA?
Many of the computers the FBI is using to search for this material are from the 1980s and lack graphical interfaces.
What does a graphical interface have to do with collecting data? What's more important is that the systems is hooked to a network and has a remote way of accessing it.
Wasn't there a some sort of CIO of the Nation in the US government, reporting to the President? Maybe it is time to go to work and do some work, eh?
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I'm not a Canadian, I just pretend to be one in the Internet
When is our illustrious government going to stop using the "outdated" technology argument? We all know that when they want something, they usually get it. This is just, "there is nothing to see here" in action.
Sheep in video games have more rights than you do.
And you just lap it up, like sheep at a pond.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
It's hard to pull the wool over your eyes.
Shearly impossible, in fact.
Baaa!
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
1: Is there multiplayer?
2: Can I get 60fps on a GeForce 960?
3: Is the sheep a 6 or a 10?
You are welcome on my lawn.
Nothing in the world is free. How much time does it take to catalog, classify/redact and publish all the information on a sheep video game?
love is just extroverted narcissism
Maybe we should all file FOIA requests with the FBI for Slippery Slope information. That way they could not use the "not enough requests" excuse.
Playing the game with The Veil by Peter Gabriel playing in the background. Eerily hilarious. Try it.
"You can play it here."
I aint clicking that shit nigga.jpg
Instructions: Use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to move the goat side to side.
"Instructions: Use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to move the goat side to side. Avoid the blocks, cross each finish line, and wait for the distorted logic text to appear before continuing. Use the spacebar to start over if you crash. The game will end after you finish all six levels or use up all of your attempts (shown in the upper right corner of game)."
The system isn't broken, at least not in a contemporary sense. Its functioning exactly as many in the federal government want it to, badly. Just enough to make people think they have an option, but not enough that people can actually get information on anything of consequence. I think I've read about the "system from the 80s" excuse before, it is one that FOIA requests are specifically routed to BECAUSE its old, outdated, slow and buggy. Actual FBI agent searches use a much newer system. And the fax machine excuse is about the lamest I've ever heard, I work for a local government and when our fax machine died we had a replacement delivered within a couple weeks.
http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2016/07/19/fbi-sued-for-using-20-year-old-software-to-slow-walk-foia-requests/
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jul/16/justice-department-freedom-of-information-computer-system
Where's the MOO guy? He'd actually be semi-on-topic for once!!!
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
"The information requested asked for "all documents -- specifically memos, email correspondence, and budgets -- around the development, release, and public reception of the FBI's Slippery Slope game."
This is a lot of information, maybe it would make sense to ask for a budget and a list of developers instead?
FOIA request will be properly responded to, just in time for the release of the Slippery Upwards Slope of Calm Transparency Demands game that is coming as a sequel.
I can just imagine that the Boston Bombings could be prevented if only they had 8 bit goat simulator telling them what to do.
Nice post
Finding Source - join the movement www.findingsource.org
The game appears to describe the extremist element that has subverted the Republican party. The distorted logic statements read:
1) Our group is under attack
2) The enemy is responsible for this injustice
3) We must defend our traditions
4) The use of violence is the only way to defend our beliefs
5) Our violent actions will result in a better future
This reeks of Tea Party. I can think of several examples of statements and actions taken by Caucasian leaders since Obama was elected President that exemplify these statements. The rhetoric has been kicked up a notch during this election cycle.
While I can also think of other politicians on both sides of the aisle falling into this logic, several long time Senators, such as John McCain, appear to lament the loss of cooperation between political parties.
Why does everyone always request "all" documents? "All" documents requires a comprehensive search. Which they claim takes too long.
Why not call. Ullsg!t on their delays by filing a second request asking for only a few documents by name? It would be harder to delay a simple concise request.
Parallel processing!