How To Obtain FBI Files About Yourself. This was posted a year or two ago, thought some folks here might find it useful.

178  2011-01-05 by [deleted]

The Federal Bureau of Investigations keeps files on almost every person in the entire country. They must send you your file if you want them to. There will not be any charge if the file is under fifty pages. If it is over 50 pages, then there will be a copying charge of ten cents per page. Your file can be obtained by simply mailing a letter to them. However, the letter must be worded properly or else they will not comply, or may only send you part of it. Here is the address which you may use to contact the F.B.I.:

Director Federal Bureau of Investigations Washington D.C., 20535 Here is the letter:

<YOUR NAME>

<YOUR ADDRESS>

<CITY, STATE, ZIP>

<YOUR PHONE NUMBER>

Dear Sir:

I am requesting a copy of any personal file which you may have on myself (SSN <Your social security number>). In addition, I am requesting copies of all files, dossiers, documents, or materials referring to myself. If you consider some material exempt from disclosure, release the material to me with deletions indicated and specify your legal support for having made those deletions. Finally, I require a response within ten working days, as provided by the Freedom of Information Act. I appreciate your time and your compliance with my request and the law.

                                 Thank you,


                                <YOUR NAME>

This letter must be notarized. To notarize a letter go to some bank, NOT the Post Office. The bank will check your identification a stamp your letter, then go to the PO and mail this letter. The C.I.A. also has files, but I believe they stopped updating information in 81. A similar request can be made of ANY government agency. Knock your self out!

Edit

  • No I haven't done this yet, but I would like to eventually.
  • I just found it in my saved from a year ago and thought of this subreddit.
  • Here is the original post comments for more info.
109 comments

60  [deleted] 2011-01-05

Yeah if they didnt' have a file on you wouldn't this just be impetus to start one?

11  nmcyall 2011-01-05

Yes, a blip on the radar for sure.

9  tejmin 2011-01-05

To quote a speaker on a desk somewhere in an underground bunker:

"Ding!"

11  Blink_ 2011-01-05

No. That's how cops think and have brainwashed Americans to think. Not wanting a cop to search your car isn't an indication of guilt.

The FOIA is awesome, here's the full text: http://www.foia.cia.gov/txt/foia.pdf

18  NoWeCant 2011-01-05

If it's so awesome, why do we have to rely on 'leaked' information sources to supply us with the information that FOIA guarantees?

7  [deleted] 2011-01-05

zing!

7  [deleted] 2011-01-05

BOOOM. LAWYERED.

1  ManInTheBlackCoat 2011-01-05

Gotta love a HIMYM burn

11  the_top_authority 2011-01-05

Not how brainwashed americans think; how cautious americans think. The government is shady, being suspicious is being smart.

3  [deleted] 2011-01-05

It is also smart to be suspicious of any large organizations whose only motivation is profit. Religion and corporations - I'm looking at you.

2  PimpMogul 2011-01-05

Corporations want money - nothing to be suspicious about with that. Religion and government on the other hand want control of your mind. THAT is something to be suspicious about.

9  metaman2 2011-01-05

well, then they'd just put your letter in an envelope and send it to you.

Which is prolly what they do anyway.

7  Inverted_Inversion 2011-01-05

I've often wondered this, and every year, curiosity tugs harder and harder...

6  oakwood1 2011-01-05

when you look into the abyss the abyss looks back

2  Fluffybird 2011-01-05

Not if your Muslim.

16  [deleted] 2011-01-05

my Muslim what?

3  Pfmohr2 2011-01-05

Who's on first?

2  [deleted] 2011-01-05

Yes.

1  Pfmohr2 2011-01-05

"The Aristocrats"

2  Gpr1me 2011-01-05

you're

1  [deleted] 2011-01-05

I doubt it. Everybody's going to be curious.

1  lurchpop 2011-01-05

i've heard this several times.

42  NiceTryFBI 2011-01-05

NICE TRY!

7  [deleted] 2011-01-05

Looks at profile

redditor for 7 months

+1

17  [deleted] 2011-01-05

ohai fbi,

You may not have had any reason to look at my behavior or records before, but you most certainly do nao.

Kind Regards,

NOT an enemy combatant

0  [deleted] 2011-01-05

inb4 v&

17  2ply 2011-01-05

half of this is nonsense.

first, it's not the correct format for a FOI request. it would probably still work, but it's not perfect. you should offer to pay reasonable costs of making copies, etc. there are hundreds of perfectly good templates online.

second, it shouldn't go to the director, but to the FBI's FOI officer. this information can easily be found by googling.

third, it doesn't need to be notarized any more than you need to wear a tin foil hat while you write it. this does nothing.

9  [deleted] 2011-01-05

Here's a template

Here's contact information

It doesn't appear that notarization is a requirement, though it probably doesn't hurt.

1  AtroxMavenia 2011-01-05

This form should not be used to submit Privacy Act requests for information about yourself or another living person.

Taken from the PDF itself, so probably not a good template to use.

13  nmcyall 2011-01-05

I wonder do they add this request to your file before or after sending you it?

11  shane_solo 2011-01-05

So, have you done this and received a reply?

11  [deleted] 2011-01-05

Dont do it.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fosG7tmWTZ8&amp;feature=related

1  Notmyreal1 2011-01-05

I'm not able to watch youtube at the moment. Could you tell me what the general gist of the video is?

8  Imjustkidding 2011-01-05

Its this guy that tried to do this a few years back and found himself in a bit of a pickle.

2  Notmyreal1 2011-01-05

Ah. Well thanks, the last thing I'd need right now is trouble with the FBI... That's probably the last thing anyone needs.

3  LordSobi 2011-01-05

It's a scene from the matrix! You've been had! Go get your information that is rightfully yours to request!

2  Notmyreal1 2011-01-05

I think I'd rather wait until i get home to watch that video and then make a rational decision on this very important matter.

I doubt it will make any difference besides satisfying my curiosity.

3  Imjustkidding 2011-01-05

insert my name here

3  AtroxMavenia 2011-01-05

For future reference, copy that link and throw "pwn" in before youtube. It'll take you to a site that will allow you to download the video in your choice of many different formats.

http://www.pwnyoutube.com/watch?v=fosG7tmWTZ8&amp;feature=related

11  badBird 2011-01-05

Here is some more information from the FBI's website about obtaining records on yourself or other's who have passed away through the Freed of Information Act.

4  chrunchy 2011-01-05

The Freed of Information Act doesn't exist. You're thinking of the Freedos Act.

7  [deleted] 2011-01-05

The Freedos Act doesn't exist, you're thinking of the Fritos Act.

6  frankiewasfrankie5 2011-01-05

The Fritos Act doesn't exist. You're thinking of the Lay's Act.

4  illegal_deagle 2011-01-05

The Lay's Act doesn't exist, you're thinking of the Act Act.

8  frankiewasfrankie5 2011-01-05

Act Act Act Act Act, Act Act Act Act Act Act.

2  Aff3ct 2011-01-05

The Freed of Information Act sounds more reasonable to me.

11  mattchu4 2011-01-05

I would so do this, but I'm afraid the results would turn out to be a photo shopped pic of me wearing a turban, red flagged as a terrorist, for supporting marijuana.

2  [deleted] 2011-01-05

This would most definitely be my response if I worked for the FBI.

8  [deleted] 2011-01-05

i'm rather curious to find out what is in my file. i know that i have been "temporarily" put on a terrorist watch list in the past. 2 fbi agents showed up at my house one afternoon to inform me that i could potentially spend some time in a federal prison for calling my city's mayor a bitch over the telephone. those guys have such a terrible sense of humor.

long story short: saying "don't cut down those maple trees, bitch" is considered terrorist activity.

3  chieften08 2011-01-05

The FBI thought my father was the Unibomber because he took a class in college that used a specific textbook that the guy may have made a reference to once.

4  [deleted] 2011-01-05

The FBI probably thought a LOT of people were the Unabomber

1  chieften08 2011-01-05

they showed up at our house and were asking him questions for about an hour about a class he had when he attended Northwestern

7  digger_ex_pat 2011-01-05

Why do you need to get the notary at a bank not the PO?

21  KingsX 2011-01-05

Because the buses that go to the FEMA camps are at the bank not the PO.

-1  whatthedude 2011-01-05

FEMA camps don't sound bad. You nuts should really come up with a word to replace "camps".

2  [deleted] 2011-01-05

Auschwitzt and Belson were camps, I dont think they were all that pleasant places to be.

16  facestab 2011-01-05

Is that why Hitler called his book "My Camp"?

-8  samwisesteamer 2011-01-05

My STRUGGLE

FTFY

3  lobsterxcore 2011-01-05

Clearly you weren't there.

3  whatthedude 2011-01-05

Grandpa died at Auschwitzt, fell out of the shower and they shot him.

0  asumountainman 2011-01-05

Grandpa died at Auschwitz, fell out of the guard tower

FTFY

1  whatthedude 2011-01-05

whoosh

-1  [deleted] 2011-01-05

Vacation Resorts for rich jews

1  KingsX 2011-01-05

You've got kitchen duty.

1  whatthedude 2011-01-05

BUG JUICE!

1  KingsX 2011-01-05

OK, now it's latrine duty.

1  whatthedude 2011-01-05

POOP JUICE!

5  plethoraofpinatas 2011-01-05

DO NOT DO THIS.

I did this a few months after the Freedom of Information Act was passed (ten plus years ago??). Ever since then every time I buy a gun I get put on a three day waiting period which is the maximum length they can detain a firearms transaction without a legal reason to do so. My name is not common and this is a huge pain since I do a lot of recreational shooting (target, clay pigeons, etc.). I have to wonder what other lists this put me on. My idea was since I was ex-military I thought it would be interesting to see what "my file" might say. The FBI said they had no file on me...until then.

1  [deleted] 2011-01-05

Has it affected your life in any other way besides purchasing weapons?

2  plethoraofpinatas 2011-01-05

Not that I'm aware of. Haven't flown in a long time or tried to leave the country. It still sucks when you spend that kind of money and have a perfect record and then top it off by watching shady types walk out with guns right next to you with no wait period. The process to get manually removed off the list is ridiculous and almost needs a lawyer.

And seriously...if anyone had anything interesting in their file don't people realize that the Patriot Act trumps all your rights and you will never access that information and only stir the pot for more investigation.

4  Chaotix 2011-01-05

I assume you would need to be a U.S. citizen to request this. I'm sure they have files on Canadian citizens, but we cannot request them?

1  GoatseMcShitbungle 2011-01-05

Try through the CSIS.. if you really want to.

I think most folks here are fancying themselves to be bigger fish than they actually are...

1  Chaotix 2011-01-05

ya most likely they are small fries. I would be curious what the FBI has on me though (if anything).

4  Dwman113 2011-01-05

Has anybody accomplished this?

4  terumo 2011-01-05

Nice try FBI, I am going to send you all my personal information including SSN.

6  ShakeyBobWillis 2011-01-05

Riiiiight. The FBI doesn't already know that.

1  terumo 2011-01-05

It's not about that, of course they have the information, it's the FBI, but then they have a good reason to start tracking you, "why would this guy will be interested? let's see".

3  ShakeyBobWillis 2011-01-05

If it wasn't about that why did you say it?

4  stahlgrau 2011-01-05

This is akin to knowing when you are going to die. I know I have a file but it doesn't matter what people think, only what they can prove. In the event I need the information, it will be produced through the normal course of discovery by my attorney. Thanks for the heads-up, though. Quite considerate of you.

3  SLOWchildrenplaying 2011-01-05

What should the outside of the envelope look like? Would it be possible for you to post a picture of an envelope and letter as an example? Judging from your post, it appears the format needs to be precise.

20  [deleted] 2011-01-05

http://www.reddit.com/static/mailgray.png

3  ESE_VATO_LOCO 2011-01-05

Still waiting to see if someone requested their file(s) and what the results were.

As someone eloquently stated in the previous thread, "I'm not gonna be the first asshole to try this."

3  GoatseMcShitbungle 2011-01-05

More like how to out yourself as paranoid directly to the FBI.

I would suggest no one does this if they have no reason to believe there would be files on them. If you do have reason to suspect that they do, well, that's your call. But I think a very healthy amount of discretion should be applied before mailing the fucking FBI.

3  testing1testing2 2011-01-05

I'd like to see what they have on me.

When I was a freshman at the university I signed up for one of those communist newspapers just out of curiosity. Total garbage by the way, but I was young and curious about those kinds of things, especially progressive politics. Anyway, I swear to this, about two weeks later, after I start receiving my free communist newspaper once a week at my dormitory, I am in a supermarket very close to campus when this guy, kind of nondescript but tall and with a mustache, lifts up a camera and takes a couple shots of me. At first I think he's taking a picture of someone behind me or of the supermarket itself, and naively brush it aside. The guy turns around and walks out very briskly and I just stand there a few seconds before going out into the parking lot to confront him. By that time he had just disappeared. I remember one of the cashiers saw what went down and she gave me a look like "that was weird". To this day that incident and the timing of it has always bothered me.

2  [deleted] 2011-01-05

[deleted]

3  testing1testing2 2011-01-05

I know. It's always bothered me, especially since I "subscribed" to the paper out of curiosity. I even remember I paid 5 dollars for it. It was so poorly written and reasoned that looking back on it I wonder if it was merely a ruse to build up a database of malcontents and troublemakers.

That said I think I side with those who think it's wiser not to request your files.

2  trollipop 2011-01-05

worker's vanguard?

2  testing1testing2 2011-01-05

This was a long time ago, in the nineties, could've been that.

2  mandelbrotwurst 2011-01-05

Do you suppose they are keeping a record of everyone who has been charged the long file copying fee?

2  reeksofhavoc 2011-01-05

Sweet. I know for a fact I have a dossier - didn't know I could actually see it. :D

2  wiki_leaks 2011-01-05

I just turn on the news.

1  gwizie 2011-01-05

Does this work for dead relatives as well?

1  rickscarf 2011-01-05

If you have Power of Attorney I don't see why it wouldn't

2  [deleted] 2011-01-05

Surely power of attorney does not apply to dead people.

2  Blink_ 2011-01-05

For kin it surely does.

2  Elizabeth_Smart 2011-01-05

Correct, power of attorney ends at death. This is real.

1  Flashgordon20 2011-01-05

yes! This site generates a nice template letter for your FOIA request. http://www.getgrandpasfbifile.com/ or for yourself http://www.getmyfbifile.com/

1  Red_Sanford 2011-01-05

Nice try FBI

1  Nonethewiserer 2011-01-05

can anyone confirm this?

1  beanx 2011-01-05

this is awesome. thanks!!!

1  yellowpeep 2011-01-05

I'm definitely going to try this sometime in the near future.

1  Tactical_Bear 2011-01-05

Sweet, I'm enlisting soon and have had some issues in the past, don't know if any of it is on record, want to see everything my recruiter could possibly find on me, big kudos for posting this, big help.

1  SOLIDninja 2011-01-05

Good to know.

I'll save this information incase i'm shadowed by the party van on a rainy day.

0  Ikemaster 2011-01-05

Why wouldn't they just lie and say that didn't have any information on you?

2  Dwman113 2011-01-05

Because thats illegal...

14  [deleted] 2011-01-05

right, and if they did anything illegal, they would be investigated by that federal bureau...oh wait...

2  [deleted] 2011-01-05

And they care that it's illegal! They always have the citizens' goals in mind :)

4  chitoiup 2011-01-05

That's not how it works. I know what you're gonna think, but after all, this is still a democracy and there are checks and balances still in place. I read about government corruption being uncovered all the time.

1  aoss 2011-01-05

Not sure if trolling or not. &#3232;_&#3232;

2  [deleted] 2011-01-05

And they care that it's illegal! They always have the citizens' goals in mind :)

14  [deleted] 2011-01-05

right, and if they did anything illegal, they would be investigated by that federal bureau...oh wait...

4  [deleted] 2011-01-05

The FBI probably thought a LOT of people were the Unabomber

1  AtroxMavenia 2011-01-05

This form should not be used to submit Privacy Act requests for information about yourself or another living person.

Taken from the PDF itself, so probably not a good template to use.