7.2. Content Removal Policies - Private Information Removal Policy
This document outlines a Private Information Removal Policy, detailing the process for requesting the removal of high-risk private information from a platform. It defines what constitutes private information and security risk, specifies appropriate and inappropriate removal requests, and explains the steps involved from investigation to resolution. The policy is designed for platforms hosting user-generated content, particularly software development communities.
Private Information Removal Policy
This document is taken from the GitHub website - more information about GitHub and its functions can be found at https://github.com/. Please note that many of the included provisions are designed for GitHub or similar site (such as for building and developing software with online communities), so they are not relevant to all types of business.
You can amend this document to be suitable for your own Community and purposes using the smart fields and customizing the bracketed sections. We recommend adding hyperlinks to your own policies and website pages - make sure your business has in place all the policies referred to here.
We offer this private information removal process as an exceptional service only for high-risk content that violates our Terms of Service, such as when your security is at risk from exposed access credentials. This guide describes the information [company name] needs from you in order to process a request to remove private information from a repository.
What is Private Information?
For the purposes of this document, “private information” refers to content that (i) should have been kept confidential, and (ii) whose public availability poses a specific or targeted security risk to you or your organization.
"Security risk" refers to a situation involving exposure to physical danger, identity theft, or increased likelihood of unauthorized access to physical or network facilities.
Private information removal requests are appropriate for:
Access credentials, such as user names combined with passwords, access tokens, or other sensitive secrets that can grant access to your organization's server, network, or domain.
AWS tokens and other similar access credentials that grant access to a third party on your behalf. You must be able to show that the token does belong to you.
Documentation (such as network diagrams or architecture) that poses a specific security risk for an organization.
Information related to, and posing a security risk to, you as an individual (such as social security numbers or other government identification numbers).
Private information removal requests are not appropriate for:
Internal server names, IP addresses, and URLs, on their own. You must be able to show that their use in a particular file or piece of code poses a security threat.
Mere mentions of your company's identity, name, brand, domain name, or other references to your company in files on [company name]. You must be able to articulate why a use of your company's identity is a threat to your company's security posture.
Entire files or repositories that do not pose a specific security risk, but you believe are otherwise objectionable.
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