Removal & redaction

This archive is a republication of editorial content originally published on exit133.com between 2005 and 2018. Some of that content names people, and some people may want it removed or redacted. We'll consider it.

What we'll consider

More likely to be redacted or removed:

• Comments by ordinary readers, on request from the person who wrote them.
• Articles that name a private individual who was not a public figure in the matter, particularly where the article describes alleged criminal conduct or the subject was a minor at the time.
• Old content where the subject has visibly moved on from the events covered.

Less likely to be removed:

• Coverage of public officials acting in their official capacity, or businesses written about as businesses.
• Articles where removing the name would gut the story.

This isn't a checklist. It's how we think about requests.

How to ask

Email archive@exit133.com with:

• The URL of the page.
• What you'd like changed (full removal, redaction of a name or paragraph).
• For comments: enough about the comment that we can confirm you wrote it (approximate date, the email address you originally used, or other corroborating detail).

You don't need to argue the case at length. A pointer to the page and a sentence about who you are is enough.

What to expect

We acknowledge requests within 5 business days. We decide within 30 days, in writing.

If we redact, the page carries a footer noting the date and that a redaction was made; we don't say what was redacted. If we remove, the URL returns a 410 Gone with a note that the page existed and was removed.

If we decline, we say so and why.

What we won't do

We won't act on anonymous requests, on third-party demands about content unrelated to the requester, or on requests from reputation-management firms.

Internet Archive

We can't remove anything from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Their policies are separate. If a page is redacted or removed here, an older copy may still be available there.