Want to make a bureaucrat sweat without leaving your couch? Learn to weaponize the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). It’s legal, it’s powerful, and it’s annoying as hell, for them A well-timed FOIA request can expose shady spending, fascist memos, and backroom deals. It’s the paper trail equivalent of setting off a smoke bomb in their inbox. And yes, you can do it anonymously.
Here are the step-by-step instructions for Resistance Survival Guide #37: How to FOIA Bomb a Fascist — your official guide to turning paperwork into political pain.
🧨 How to FOIA Bomb a Fascist
1. Pick Your Target
- Choose a corrupt agency, shady department, or public official.
- Think ICE, local police, school boards, governors, or even your mayor’s office.
- Pro tip: Start with agencies required to keep records (emails, budgets, arrest logs, etc.).
2. Find the FOIA (or State Public Records) Portal
- Federal = https://www.foia.gov/
- State/Local = Google “[agency] FOIA request” or use tools like MuckRock (https://www.muckrock.com/).
- Each agency has different rules—read the fine print and be just annoying enough to be legal.
3. Write the Request Like a Pro Nuisance
- Be specific but broad enough to make them work for it: “All communications between [Official] and [Company] between Jan 2023 and today, including emails, texts, and internal memos.”
- Use date ranges and keywords but don’t make it easy.
- Request it in digital format to avoid being charged for printing.
4. Submit and Track It
- Submit through the agency’s portal, email, or even snail mail if required.
- Save a copy and calendar a follow-up date (they legally have deadlines).
- If they delay? Send a follow-up or threaten legal action. (EFF and MuckRock have templates.)
5. FOIA in Packs (It’s More Fun with Friends)
- Organize a FOIA squad. Assign targets. Share request templates.
- Hit the same agency with multiple related requests to flood the system.
- Public record overload = fascist drag.
6. Publish What You Dig Up
- Upload results to public forums or resistance blogs.
- Share the juiciest parts on social media with context and receipts.
- Tag watchdog groups, lawyers, and journalists to help amplify.
7. Rinse, Repeat, and Escalate
- Got something big? Send it to ProPublica, DemLabs, or Resistance Kitty.
- Don’t stop at one request—rotate departments, use aliases, and keep the pressure on.
- Remember: every FOIA bomb is a tiny act of sabotage wrapped in legalese.
Today’s To-Do List:
- 📄 Read the Kitty guide on how to file FOIA requests like a pro: How to File a FOIA Request with the DOGE
- 🕵️♀️ Pick a local agency, police department, or city council to investigate. Think: surveillance equipment, protest suppression emails, or ICE collaboration.
- ✍️ Submit your first FOIA using MuckRock or FOIA.gov.
- 🗃️ Create a public archive for FOIA wins. Your exposure can become someone else’s headline.
- 🔥 Bonus: Coordinate a “FOIA Friday” with fellow resisters. Bureaucracy raid, but make it fun.
Featured Resister: The DemLabs
Check out The DemLabs—they build digital tools to amplify resistance and track right-wing networks. Their guide to FOIA tricks is a must-read.
Upcoming Resistance Events (Today):
- 📢 Sunshine & Subpoenas: Using Public Records for Justice — Webinar hosted by DemLabs, 5 PM ET
- 📬 FOIA Filing Office Hours in the Resistance Directory Discord—check ResistanceDirectory.com for invite
Boycott of the Day: Palantir
Palantir – The data-mining surveillance firm with contracts to track immigrants and activists. Stop feeding the beast.
Final Word from Resistance Kitty:
The revolution runs on receipts. So go get them. Make fascists fear the paper trail. Drown them in their own documentation until the only thing redacted is them.
Source List:
- Resistance Kitty FOIA Guide: https://resistancekitty.com/how-to-file-a-foia-request-with-the-doge/
- MuckRock: https://www.muckrock.com/
- FOIA.gov: https://www.foia.gov/
- The DemLabs: https://thedemlabs.org/
- Palantir Exposé: https://themarkup.org/the-breakdown/2023/03/15/the-problem-with-palantir-and-policing
