Epstein case: DOJ removes thousands of documents after victims identified
What's the story
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has said it has taken down thousands of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents from its website. The decision was made after victims complained that their identities had been compromised due to faulty redactions in the files. Lawyers for Epstein's victims said the errors have "turned upside down" the lives of nearly 100 survivors.
Privacy breach
Released files included nude photos, email addresses
The released documents reportedly included email addresses and nude photos with identifiable names and faces of potential victims. Survivors called the disclosure "outrageous," arguing they should not be "named, scrutinized and retraumatized." The DOJ has since removed all flagged files for further redaction, attributing the mistakes to "technical or human error."
Ongoing review
DOJ reviewing new requests, checking for other documents
In a letter submitted to a federal judge, the DOJ said, "All documents requested by victims or counsel to be removed by yesterday evening have been removed for further redaction." A "substantial number" of documents have been independently identified and removed as well. Under the terms of the release, the federal government was required to redact details that could identify the victims.
Legal action
Lawyers sought federal judge's order to take down website
On Friday, two lawyers representing Epstein's victims sought a federal judge's order to take down the website hosting the files. They called the release "the single most egregious violation of victim privacy in one day in United States history," with one victim claiming she had received death threats after her private banking details were published. Brittany Henderson and Brad Edwards argued there was "an unfolding emergency that requires immediate judicial intervention" due to unredacted personal information.
Official statement
DOJ says working 'around the clock' to fix issue
A DOJ spokesperson told CBS that the department "takes victim protection very seriously" and has redacted thousands of names in millions of published pages. They added that they are "working around the clock to fix the issue" and "to date 0.001% of released pages" had unredacted information identifying victims. Millions of Epstein-related files have been released since a law mandated their release last year, including three million pages, 180,000 images and 2,000 videos last Friday.