Last updated: October 6, 2026
The Shoebox Archives exists to help families, collectors and small institutions preserve their history and, when they choose, share it. This policy explains what you may not store or share on the Service, and what we do when someone breaks these rules. It is part of our Terms of Service, and it applies to everything on the Service, whether it is private, shared with invited members, or public.
Historical material
Old records often contain language, images or ideas that are offensive today. Preserving them, describing them and sharing them for their historical value is allowed. Using them to harass someone, or to promote hatred or violence today, is not.
What you may not store or share
- Child sexual abuse material. Never allowed, in any form or for any reason. We report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and close the account.
- Material you don't have the right to share. Don't upload or publish someone else's copyrighted work unless you own it, have permission, or the law allows your use. Copyright owners can report material through our takedown process.
- Sensitive personal information about living people, made public. Don't make public anyone's Social Security number, financial account numbers, medical records or similar private details without their permission.
- Harassment and threats. Don't use the Service to threaten, harass, bully or intimidate anyone, or to share private images of someone without their consent.
- Hate and violence. Don't share material that promotes violence against people, or that attacks people because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, except as historical material described above.
- Illegal activity. Don't use the Service to break the law or to help anyone else break it.
- Abuse of the Service. Don't upload malware, send spam, impersonate anyone, or try to get into accounts, archives or systems that aren't yours. Our Terms of Service list the other prohibited uses.
Repeat infringers
We count each valid copyright notice that leads us to remove material from an account. A notice doesn't count if it is withdrawn, or if the material is restored after a valid counter-notice. When an account reaches three counted notices, we close it. We may close an account sooner when the infringement is deliberate or serious.
What we do when these rules are broken
Depending on what we find, we may take material off public view, remove it, or suspend or close the account. We tell the archive's owner what we did and why. To report material, follow our takedown process.
Questions
If you have a question about this policy, email us at support@shoeboxarchives.org.