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Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

mchap.io

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Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#21

Post by bpchaps »

mehrdadn wrote: post #9

This is awesome. Question though: how is producing license plate data like this not a disallowed privacy invasion? It seems like you could totally track who's parking where and potentially do nasty stuff, if you know (say) someone well-off whom you don't like and who doesn't seem to mind getting tickets on a regular basis.

Thanks!

I thought so to until recently and was honestly kind of surprised they actually gave it to me. They rejected giving license plate info at first, but they've given it out in other, similar, FOIA requests.

Specifically in FOIA's statute, it says:

    (c-5) "Private information" means unique identifiers, including a person's social security number, driver's license number, employee identification number, biometric identifiers, personal financial information, passwords or other access codes, medical records, home or personal telephone numbers, and personal email addresses. Private information also includes home address and personal license plates, *except as otherwise provided by law or when compiled without possibility of attribution to any person.*
In other words - if the dataset itself doesn't have identifying information, then it's not considered private. That said, I've played around with re-identification using this dataset as a POC.. and then deleted the code, because yeah - it's scary.

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#22

Post by bpchaps »

tptacek wrote: post #2

Matt's schtick is automated, large-scale FOIA requesting; he obtains huge collections of data from cities and then tries to do interesting stuff with it. Here, he apparently managed to get all the tickets in Chicago for several years running, and then used that data to fix the parking signs. This, to me, is so neat.

Hey! Thanks for posting this, and the kind words.

Interesting note about getting data like this - Illinois FOIA allows a requester to submit a SQL as part of their request.. so long as they know the tables and columns within the database ;)

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#24

Post by mikestew »

bpchaps wrote: post #22
tptacek wrote: post #2

Matt's schtick is automated, large-scale FOIA requesting; he obtains huge collections of data from cities and then tries to do interesting stuff with it. Here, he apparently managed to get all the tickets in Chicago for several years running, and then used that data to fix the parking signs. This, to me, is so neat.

Hey! Thanks for posting this, and the kind words. Interesting note about getting data like this - Illinois FOIA allows a requester to submit a SQL as part of their request.. so long as they know the tables and columns within the database ;)

I’m rusty, can you remind me of the SQL statement to run against the master tables to give me the schema? :-)

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#25

Post by dannyw »

ecnahc515 wrote: post #16
mehrdadn wrote: post #9

This is awesome. Question though: how is producing license plate data like this not a disallowed privacy invasion? It seems like you could totally track who's parking where and potentially do nasty stuff, if you know (say) someone well-off whom you don't like and who doesn't seem to mind getting tickets on a regular basis.

The TL;DR is: "any criminal records is public information". Fundamentally, even if it's very minor, it's public information until expunged, cleared, or sealed. I think most people are generally fine with this, it's only really a problem if you consistently are committing offenses.

I wouldn't be that generous. You park 15 mins longer than permitted once outside your workplace, and now your violent ex knows where you now work.

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#26

Post by dannyw »

bpchaps wrote: post #23
throwawayjava wrote: post #15

How much did the FOIA request cost?

It was free. I've never had to pay for any information coming from an Illinois FOIA request.

Have you thought about distributing the data, for accessibility and reproducibility? As well as save the taxpayers a little bit of dough in case someone else wants to request the same data.

edit: my bad, didn't see it at the end

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#27

Post by mehrdadn »

detaro wrote: post #18
mehrdadn wrote: post #9

This is awesome. Question though: how is producing license plate data like this not a disallowed privacy invasion? It seems like you could totally track who's parking where and potentially do nasty stuff, if you know (say) someone well-off whom you don't like and who doesn't seem to mind getting tickets on a regular basis.

In the US there is an entire industry that scans license plates on public streets and sells the data. Basically no privacy in public. (random example: https://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/private_comp... )

I forgot about this, but at the same time that doesn't imply it's legal for a government agency to just give it away. There are obviously industries that gather up all your personal information from address and DoB to SSN but that doesn't mean a government agency can just give it out to a random nobody.

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#28

Post by jimmaswell »

btrettel wrote: post #13

Would be nice to use the same skills to help reduce cars illegally parked in the bike lane. Identify areas which cyclists commonly complain about that (e.g., to the city) and encourage them to put up better signs?

Could also signal the area is starved for parking, so the lane should be removed and bicyclists should just ride in the road for those stretches. Small inconvenience to the bicyclists who still get to use the road, big win for the drivers.

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#29

Post by mehrdadn »

rlpb wrote: post #12
mehrdadn wrote: post #9

This is awesome. Question though: how is producing license plate data like this not a disallowed privacy invasion? It seems like you could totally track who's parking where and potentially do nasty stuff, if you know (say) someone well-off whom you don't like and who doesn't seem to mind getting tickets on a regular basis.

Criminal proceedings are usually public in most countries. Where do parking tickets fall? Even if not technically criminal, some might, for the same underlying reasons, consider it acceptable for "someone well-off whom you don't like and who doesn't seem to mind getting tickets on a regular basis" to have this illegal behavior on the public record. "Don't want your name tarnished? Don't park illegally." [Edit: on the…

I was asking about the legality, not the morality. If it's not technically criminal then that's all that matters.

Also, this is completely missing the point here:

> Don't want your name tarnished? Don't park illegally.

It's not about reputation, it's about privacy -- and safety.

Re: Using FOIA Data and Unix to halve major source of parking tickets

#30

Post by kingbirdy »

dannyw wrote: post #26
bpchaps wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was free. I've never had to pay for any information coming from an Illinois FOIA request.

Have you thought about distributing the data, for accessibility and reproducibility? As well as save the taxpayers a little bit of dough in case someone else wants to request the same data. edit: my bad, didn't see it at the end

The dataset is linked to at the end of the article (http://freeourinfo.com/tickets/)
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