this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2025
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Un-redacted text from released documents began circulating on social media on Monday evening

People examining documents released by the Department of Justice in the Jeffrey Epstein case discovered that some of the file redaction can be undone with Photoshop techniques, or by simply highlighting text to paste into a word processing file.

Un-redacted text from these documents began circulating through social media on Monday evening. An exhibit in a civil case in the Virgin Islands against Darren K Indyke and Richard D Kahn, two executors of Epstein’s estate, contains redacted allegations explaining how Epstein and his associates had facilitated the sexual abuse of children. The exhibit was part of the second amended complaint in the state case against Indyke and Kahn.

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[–] theuser@lemmy.world 35 points 2 days ago
[–] Stern@lemmy.world 74 points 2 days ago (8 children)

Ctrl+A and Ctrl+C is a hack now. Neat.

[–] mercano@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago

So long as you say “I’m in” after you hit Ctrl+V, it counts.

[–] cley_faye@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago

When the average level is so low, it is.

[–] MutilationWave@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Ever show someone under 30 a keyboard shortcut? They act like you've performed magic.

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[–] ceenote@lemmy.world 272 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Don't underestimate how important this particular screw up is: It means that there's now publicly available proof that they redacted information in a manner that violates the law, and that it can enter the conversation while the Epstein files still have the public attention, rather than months or years later.

[–] jballs@sh.itjust.works 40 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Can't wait for the Supreme Court to decide in 10 years that releasing a document with ineffective redactions means the document was not technically redacted, so no laws were violated.

[–] smeenz@lemmy.nz 16 points 2 days ago (2 children)

.... while simultaneously ruling that the information that was supposed to have been redacted can not be used because they say so.

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[–] EmpathicVagrant@lemmy.world 43 points 3 days ago (2 children)

We’re founding a committee to oversee discussions about how to consider moving forward with this. Action will be taken at a faster rate than usual compared to usual congressional processes. This legislative action is expected to take place in 2047 once deliberations are complete.

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[–] Lumidaub@feddit.org 272 points 3 days ago (4 children)
[–] BeigeAgenda@lemmy.ca 146 points 3 days ago (6 children)

The ultimate hack: Ctrl+C Ctrl+V

[–] Janx@piefed.social 69 points 3 days ago (1 children)
[–] fushuan@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The hacker?!?! 4chan the hacker?!?!?

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[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 43 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I know better than to try this and shutdown my computer. I'm not an idiot.

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[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 31 points 3 days ago (3 children)

https://usdictionary.com/definitions/hack/

See definitions 3 and 5 for reference, I believe the term fully fits.

[–] s@piefed.world 76 points 3 days ago (5 children)

Life hack: turn the doorknob to open a door

[–] TribblesBestFriend@startrek.website 32 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Your stupid facist regime hate this one life hack

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[–] aggelalex@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

L33t h4x0r5 and their highlight removal scripts

[–] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 126 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I choose to believe that this was done deliberately by disgruntled FBI agents.

It was probably just incompetence, but let me believe what I want.

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[–] nonentity@sh.itjust.works 101 points 3 days ago (6 children)

How is copying text from a PDF a hack?

I see 2 potential paths to this, possibly both:

  1. Unknowledgeable individuals were tasked with redactions, and didn’t understand adding black bars over documents is closer to a sticky note than a marker.

  2. Knowledgeable individuals taught others to ‘redact’ in this manner to sabotage the effort, and those who signed off on the release didn’t look any further than the rendered result, if they even did that.

[–] El_Scapacabra@lemmy.zip 31 points 3 days ago (2 children)

It's like people saying their facebook got hacked when in reality, they logged in on a public computer and didn't log out. Or their password is their kid's name or some shit.

I've seen people claim their account was hacked when somebody created a duplicate.

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[–] apftwb@lemmy.world 31 points 3 days ago

Adding to theory 2, I bet there was very little record keeping regarding which agent was redacting which document. The point of a coverup is that you try to reduce accountability. Even if only Trump loyalist FBI agents were selected for the censorship job, I doubt they all could remain loyalists after reading the Epstein files.

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[–] Brkdncr@lemmy.world 115 points 3 days ago (3 children)

This is what happens when you pull in people that don’t normally do records management. They redact using black highlighter instead of the redaction tool.

[–] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 100 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Or, this is what happens when people who work for the government really hate Donald Trump.

Malicious compliance

[–] lka1988@sh.itjust.works 33 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

[–] kelpie_returns@lemmy.world 39 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

It's a good general rule, but taking this as gospel makes it very easy for the malicious to pass off their cruelty as stupidity.

If your goal is to reduce general stress, take it as it is and leave it there. If your goal is to distinguish what exactly is actually going on, then this is a tool worth keeping around, but it's not going to do the job on it's own.

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[–] chiliedogg@lemmy.world 42 points 3 days ago (6 children)

You have to be more careful than many people expect think with the redaction tool. Sometimes it's text being redacted. Sometimes it's a graphic. Sometimes it's both on top of each other.

That's why my final step in redacting documents for Open Records (I do a LOT of it) is to flatten the PDF.

But the real bitch is protected docs. Some docs keep the redaction tool from working (e.g. docs with digital signatures). Sometimes I actually have to print a doc out and re-scan it to get the redactions to stick.

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[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 94 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Someone shouldn’t have blabbed about it so quickly. There are more files to release, and now they will do a better job redacting them.

[–] Blaster_M@lemmy.world 104 points 3 days ago

I was gonna say, "Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake".

[–] velindora@lemmy.cafe 30 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I’m sure lots of people figured it out and kept their trap shut.

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[–] Bebopalouie@lemmy.ca 12 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Keep it up us govt. it seems you are the best disseminating information against yourself.

Edit is to us

[–] Texas_Hangover@lemmy.radio 45 points 3 days ago (1 children)

That is fucking hilarious, this government doesn't even know how to use a black highlighter correctly.

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[–] Bgugi@lemmy.world 37 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (4 children)

People have been making these same mistakes for literally decades... How does the government not have a 1-click dedicated tool for this yet?

https://slate.com/technology/2016/06/house-democrats-improperly-redacted-documents-wrong-but-they-re-not-alone.html

[–] fodor@lemmy.zip 30 points 2 days ago (2 children)

You think this was a mistake? Certainly some staffers did this on purpose, my friend. Good for them.

[–] 3abas@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago

There are no heros working on this, any breaks we get are for to incompetence.

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[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

Because Elon probably dodged the people who knew their job

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[–] grte@lemmy.ca 60 points 3 days ago (2 children)

simply highlighting text to paste into a word processing file.

Did they just change the back and foreground colours to black and call it a day?

[–] greenashura@sh.itjust.works 59 points 3 days ago (9 children)

I would like to think that it was on purpose. So whoever was working on that knew that someone could realize it. I don't know why I keep having faith in people.

[–] Asafum@lemmy.world 45 points 3 days ago

It makes sense. They didn't flush the entirety of the FBI and we know Patel isn't doing all this himself, so I too believe that there are people just doing some good ol' malicious compliance. Apparently documents from previous administrations didn't have this issue so they could do it correctly, they just aren't.

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 18 points 2 days ago

One thing you can always count on with MAGAs is their virtuosic incompetence.

[–] DSN9@lemmy.ml 24 points 3 days ago (5 children)

So what did the redacted sections say.. .. .. anyone 🩻

[–] YetAnotherNerd@sopuli.xyz 62 points 3 days ago (12 children)

One of the documents talked about how Trump and Epstein were involved in the rape of a 14 year old and the murder of her baby so… yes.

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[–] W3dd1e@lemmy.zip 26 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

One was regarding Alan Dershowitz. Apparently he had sex with a minor then, while defending Epstein on a case, he negotiated immunity for himself.

https://bsky.app/profile/truthfuljai.bsky.social/post/3man6fffimc2e

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[–] aceshigh@lemmy.world 26 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I was sooo expecting this. They can’t/don’t do anything correctly.

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