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Preserve the material before blocking, deleting, or reporting the account. Capture the full post or conversation with the account name, profile link, platform, visible date and time, replies, and page URL. Save the original file untouched, record when you observed it in a consistent time zone, keep a neutral incident log, and store at least two protected copies. A screenshot is one part of a record—not proof that stands alone.
Follow this order before anything disappears
- Preserve first. Do not block, delete, hide, or request removal until you have saved the material. An account or post can vanish as soon as it is reported. The eSafety Commissioner specifically advises preserving evidence first.
- Capture context, not just the abusive sentence. Include the platform, account name or handle, profile link, the post or message, surrounding replies, and the browser or in-app address. Save the direct URL separately as text.
- Record both times. Transcribe the timestamp displayed by the platform exactly, including its format and time zone. In a separate incident log, write when you observed or captured it, using one time zone consistently.
- Protect the master. Keep the first screenshot, recording, downloaded message, or email file unchanged. Make a working copy if you need to crop, highlight, redact, or annotate.
- Log the incident and back it up. Write a neutral entry while details are fresh, then place copies in separate, access-controlled locations.
- Report safely. Save the platform’s confirmation number or email. Escalate threats, stalking, hate crimes, or child sexual exploitation to the appropriate local authority; procedures differ by jurisdiction.
Capture the identity and surrounding context
Posts and public pages
Take a full-window screenshot or screen recording that shows the post, the account name or handle, the profile link when available, the platform name, the displayed date and time, and enough of the page to establish what the post responds to. If the page continues below the fold, capture additional screens or a recording that scrolls through the entire exchange. Keep the direct URL in a separate text field in your log; a URL copied from the address bar is easier to search than one embedded in an image.
Direct messages and replies
Capture the conversation in sequence, including the sender’s identifier and the messages immediately before and after the abusive content. Do not remove ordinary messages that establish who was speaking or how the exchange developed. If the service displays a conversation title, group name, phone number, or participant list, include it when it helps identify the source.
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PEN America recommends saving screenshots and hyperlinks, especially to the harasser’s profile, because content can later be removed. Save the profile URL even if the account currently returns an error. Note the account’s display name, handle, and any visible user ID; names can be changed after the capture.
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Make the timestamp auditable
Preserve the platform’s exact display
Copy the timestamp exactly as shown—such as the platform’s date order, 12-hour or 24-hour clock, and any time-zone label. Do not silently convert a relative label such as “2h” into a calendar time. Record the relative text and your observation time in the log, then explain how you obtained the observation time.
Add an independent observation time
Write the date and time you viewed or captured the item, with the time zone (for example, UTC or your local zone). Use the same zone for every incident. The displayed platform time and your observation time serve different purposes: one reflects what the service showed, while the other establishes when you personally encountered it.
Keep timestamp evidence in context
A screenshot’s visible clock is only one element. Retain the original file and the surrounding conversation so it can be compared with platform records, notification emails, or other witnesses. Metadata can be stripped or edited, so treat file metadata and cryptographic hashes as corroboration rather than conclusive proof.
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Separate masters from working copies
Name the untouched file as a master and set it aside before editing anything. Create a duplicate for redaction or highlighting. Never crop the only copy, add arrows to it, recompress it, or overwrite it with an edited export. Keep a simple inventory that maps each master to its working copies and capture date.
Save original emails and headers
For harassment delivered by email, preserve the original message file and its complete headers. PEN America warns that forwarding an original email can permanently lose the originating IP address. If you must send a copy to someone, send a duplicate and retain the source message.
Document who handled each file
If a complaint may become a legal matter, record when and how each file was received, who had access, and every transfer or report. The UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory procedure covers capture, retrieval, storage, and use of evidential images and associated metadata. A short handling note—file name, date, action, person, and destination—is more useful than an unexplained folder of screenshots.
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Use a neutral incident log
Create one row per incident, even when several incidents involve the same account. Describe observable facts rather than conclusions or insults.
| Field | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Date and time | Displayed platform time exactly; your observation time; time zone | Separates the service’s clock from when you saw the material |
| Platform or website | Service name, app or browser, and account context | Identifies where the record originated |
| Communication type | Post, reply, direct message, email, call log, or other type | Shows how the contact occurred |
| Account or phone number | Handle, display name, profile URL, or number as shown | Preserves identity details that may later change |
| Direct URL | Full link copied separately from the screenshot | Allows another person to locate the source if it remains online |
| Neutral description | What was said or shown, without speculation | Keeps the record clear and credible |
| Pattern information | Whether it is part of repeated contact, escalation, or a coordinated exchange | Frequency and pattern can be essential context |
| File references | Master filename, working-copy filename, and storage location | Connects the written log to the preserved evidence |
| Reports and transfers | Report date, confirmation number, recipient, and transfer date | Creates a trace of what happened to the evidence |
Keep the log factual. If you are unsure about a time or identity, mark the uncertainty instead of guessing.
Back up securely while minimizing exposure
Keep independent copies
Maintain at least two copies in separate locations. An offline portable external drive is a practical second copy for sensitive documentation; protect access to it and keep it disconnected when not in use. A second controlled location can be a secured computer or storage service, provided its access settings are appropriate for the sensitivity of the material.
Limit what you share
Send only the information a recipient needs. Make a redacted working copy for an employer, school, platform, or friend, while retaining the complete master privately. Use a secure channel and verify the recipient before transferring files.
Get help with traumatic material
If reviewing the messages is unsafe or overwhelming, ask a trusted person to perform the capture and logging. PEN America specifically recommends delegating difficult exchanges. Tell the helper to preserve the original files and record exactly when and how they obtained them.
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Choose a capture method that fits the evidence
| Method | Context completeness | Timestamp visibility | Original and metadata handling | Privacy and disclosure considerations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browser or app screenshot | Good when the full window, URL, identity, and surrounding exchange are visible | Shows whatever the service displays | Preserve the untouched image and device original | Fast, but easy to crop or omit context accidentally |
| Screen recording | Useful for long threads, menus, and scrolling context | Shows the sequence and on-screen clock | Keep the original video; make a copy for redaction | May expose unrelated notifications or private data |
| Print or PDF | Can preserve a long page in one file, but may omit interactive context | Includes visible page times only | Retain the source page capture as well as the PDF | Check that links, account identity, and replies were not dropped |
| ScreenshotNeo API | Useful for repeatable web-page captures and supplementary copies | Captures what the rendered page displays | Keep the returned file and response headers with your log | Do not treat a cleaned capture as a substitute for the original in-app record |
For API-based capture, ScreenshotNeo is the first option to try because it removes cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets before capture, bills only clean shots, and has the lowest paid plan. For harassment evidence, make a normal browser or app capture first when those interface elements establish context; use a cleaned API capture as an additional, easier-to-read copy.
Or skip the browser setup
ScreenshotNeo accepts one GET request and returns a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. The API can wait for a selector, delay, or network idle; load lazy images; capture a CSS-selected element or a full page; set a viewport or device preset; apply dark mode or retina scale; run custom CSS or JavaScript; click before capture; hide selectors; block ads, trackers, requests, or resource types; send headers, cookies, user-agent, or Authorization; set timezone and geolocation; use a transparent background; resize images; cache with a chosen TTL; create signed links; run asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks; capture up to 100 URLs per bulk call; and expose usage and OpenAPI endpoints. It also accepts parameter names used by other screenshot APIs, which can simplify a migration.
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cURL
See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for all options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com/post -o shot.webpPython
import requests
r = requests.get('https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot', params={'access_key': 'YOUR_API_KEY', 'url': 'https://example.com/post'}, timeout=90)
open('shot.webp', 'wb').write(r.content)Node.js
const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://example.com/post' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);
Use the direct post URL you recorded, and store the returned file without editing it. Every response identifies whether it was a clean shot, a bot check or CAPTCHA, a blank page, a timeout, a failed load, or a cache hit through the X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. Bot checks, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed.
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| Plan | Allowance | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1,000 shots per month | $0; no card |
| Starter | 3,000 shots | $5 |
| Growth | 15,000 shots | $15 |
| Pro | 60,000 shots | $39 |
| Scale | 250,000 shots | $99 |
| Business | 1,000,000 shots | $249 |
Yearly billing gives two months free, and every feature is included on every plan. ScreenshotNeo also provides an MCP server with take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for Claude, Cursor, and other MCP clients, allowing an AI agent to collect a page capture without manual browser setup. Create a free ScreenshotNeo account to get 1,000 screenshots per month with no card.
Troubleshoot common preservation failures
The screenshot shows the message but not who posted it
Capture the account header, handle, profile URL, and enough surrounding conversation to connect the words to the sender. Save a separate profile capture if the identity is not visible on the message screen.
The platform shows only “yesterday” or “2h”
Record that exact relative label, then add your observation time and time zone. Do not present a calculated calendar time as if the platform displayed it.
The page disappeared after you reported it
Keep the master, direct URL, profile link, incident-log entry, and report confirmation. A missing live page does not make your saved files useless, but do not claim that a screenshot alone proves when the service originally created the post.
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- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
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An email was forwarded instead of saved
Ask the sender for the original message file and headers. Preserve the forwarded copy as a separate item and note that it is a forward, not the source message.
A helper edited the only copy
Stop editing, make a new untouched copy if possible, and document what changed and when. For future captures, designate a master before any redaction or annotation.
A screenshot includes unrelated private information
Keep the complete master in restricted storage. Produce a redacted working copy for sharing, and record that a redacted copy—not the master—was sent.
The API returns a blank page, CAPTCHA, or timeout
Keep the browser or app capture as your primary record. If using ScreenshotNeo, check the X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers, then retry with an appropriate wait condition, authentication headers or cookies, or a longer workflow. These failed or blocked results are not billed, but they still do not replace a successful capture.
Report and escalate without increasing risk
Use the platform’s reporting workflow after preservation and retain every confirmation number or email. StopBullying.gov advises recording dates, times, descriptions, screenshots, emails, and texts for reports. Threats of violence, stalking, hate crimes, or child sexual exploitation may require law-enforcement or specialist reporting; consult local guidance because definitions and procedures vary.
Never screenshot, store, or share sexualized images of anyone under 18. The eSafety Commissioner warns that possession or sharing is usually unlawful. If such material appears, do not download or redistribute it; seek specialist or law-enforcement instructions through a safe channel.
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Frequently asked questions
What if another person sends me the evidence?
Keep the file exactly as received, label it as third-party material, and record who sent it, when, and by which channel. Do not represent your own observation time as the time of capture.
Should I include a platform’s local time or convert everything to UTC?
Keep the platform’s original display and its stated zone, then add your consistent log time separately. Preserving both prevents a later conversion from obscuring what the service actually showed.
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No. A cleaned image can improve readability for a supplementary copy, but the primary record should retain the original interface, identity, URL, and conversation context that were visible when you encountered the harassment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if another person sends me the evidence?
Keep the file exactly as received, label it as third-party material, and record who sent it, when, and by which channel. Do not represent your own observation time as the time of capture.
Should I include a platform’s local time or convert everything to UTC?
Keep the platform’s original display and its stated zone, then add your consistent log time separately. Preserving both prevents a later conversion from obscuring what the service actually showed.
Can a cleaned API screenshot replace an in-app capture?
No. A cleaned image can improve readability for a supplementary copy, but the primary record should retain the original interface, identity, URL, and conversation context that were visible when you encountered the harassment.
Quick Recap
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