We believe it’s important to maintain an accurate record of public discussion – it’s part of our goal of providing informed, transparent debate. That’s why we won’t remove any content from our site unless it breaches our community standards or there are exceptional circumstances.
What we’ll remove and why
Articles
We will only take down an article if we are legally required to do so (if the article is found to be defamatory or in violation of copyright, for example), or if it contains major flaws or inaccuracies that warrant complete retraction. In most cases factual errors will be able to be corrected and readers notified of the change. Readers will always be notified if an article is retracted in full.
Comments
We view comments on The Conversation as public statements made explicitly for publication. For that reason comments that comply with community standards will not be removed, save in exceptional circumstances such as:
- the comment poses a risk to someone’s health (mental or physical) or safety
- an account has been compromised
- it raises a legal issue that requires removal
This is not an exhaustive list, but the general principle is that what is said cannot be unsaid so please think carefully before you post. We will, however, do what we can to ensure vulnerable people or groups are protected.
Profiles
If you no longer wish to use your account on The Conversation it will be locked so it’s no longer viewable by the public. Your comments will remain on the site with your name attached to them – your name will no longer link to your profile. If you are an academic author your name will continue to appear on any articles you’ve previously published.
Photographs
Photographs on our articles will only be removed if they violate our editorial principles or if they are licensed incorrectly. If you believe a photograph of yours has been used inappropriately or without permission please email us.
Please contact our community manager or editorial staff if you would like to submit a removal request.