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Takedown Procedure

Effective date: 2026-08-17.

NEMAR (Neuroelectromagnetic Data Archive and Tools Resource) removes or restricts datasets when continued availability would harm research participants or violate rights. This page describes the grounds, the reporting route, and what happens after a report.

Grounds for removal

Section titled “Grounds for removal”
  • Re-identifiability: the dataset contains direct identifiers, insufficient defacing, unscrubbed headers, or attribute combinations that make a participant recognizable.
  • Missing permissions: the dataset was deposited without adequate ethics approval or participant consent for public sharing.
  • Participant withdrawal: a participant withdraws consent, where the depositor’s protocol and key status make their data removable.
  • Rights infringement: the deposit violates copyright, license terms, or the Data Contributor Terms.

How to report

Section titled “How to report”

Email [email protected] with the dataset identifier, the specific files or fields of concern, and the ground you believe applies. Reports from participants, depositors, and third parties are all accepted. We acknowledge reports within 5 business days.

What happens next

Section titled “What happens next”
  1. Interim restriction. If the report plausibly involves identifiable participant data, the dataset is made private immediately while under review. Availability is never prioritized over participant protection.
  2. Assessment. We review the claim with the depositor. For re-identifiability claims, the burden is on the dataset to be demonstrably clean, not on the reporter to prove harm.
  3. Resolution. Depending on the finding: the dataset is restored unchanged; a corrected version replaces the affected one and the prior versions are withdrawn; or the dataset is removed entirely.
  4. Persistent identifiers. Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are permanent by design. A removed dataset’s DOI is not deleted; it resolves to a tombstone page stating that the dataset was withdrawn and why, in line with DataCite practice.

Decisions are made by the NEMAR team; disagreements can be escalated by replying to the decision notice, and are then reviewed by someone not involved in the original decision.