Someone forked a repo that should have been kept private

[lebrunregis]

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What can I do to get the forked project removed?

[nasrosoft]

If the repository contained sensitive information:

1. Immediate steps:

   • Contact the person who forked it directly (via GitHub or email if available) and ask them to delete the fork
   • If you have their contact info, explain the situation and request prompt deletion

2. Report to GitHub:

   • Go to https://support.github.com/contact
   • Select "Report abuse or spam"
   • Explain that a repository containing private/sensitive information was accidentally made public and has been forked
   • Provide the fork URL and your original repo URL
   • GitHub can remove forks that violate their Terms of Service or contain sensitive data

3. If it contained secrets (API keys, passwords, etc.):

   • Immediately revoke/rotate all exposed credentials - even if the fork is deleted, assume the data was accessed
   • Update any compromised API keys, passwords, or tokens
   • Review your commit history to identify what was exposed

Prevention going forward:

• Use .gitignore to exclude sensitive files before committing
• Consider using tools like git-secrets or gitleaks to scan for accidentally committed secrets
• Enable branch protection rules and review permissions regularly

Important note: Even after a fork is deleted, if the repository was public for any amount of time, the data may have been cloned, cached, or archived elsewhere. Always assume exposed secrets have been compromised.

Was this repository originally meant to be private? If so, how did it become public?

[lebrunregis]

It was an Unity project meant for a training, but I imported asset store plugins.
I've contacted the person through a pull request and working on contacting Github.

[toufiq00007]

The primary way to remove a forked project from your account (like on GitHub) is to delete the repository itself. Deleting a fork only removes it from your profile and does not affect the original (upstream) project.

Here is the general process for deleting a forked repository on GitHub:

Navigate to your fork: Go to the main page of the forked repository on your GitHub account.

Go to Settings: Click on the Settings tab, which is usually found near the top of the repository page.

Find the Danger Zone: Scroll down to the bottom of the Settings page to find the "Danger Zone" section.

Delete the Repository: Click on the "Delete this repository" button.

Confirm Deletion: A prompt will appear asking you to confirm the action. You will typically be required to type the name of the repository to confirm the deletion.

Complete the Action: Click the final confirmation button to permanently delete the fork.

[ubanand36]

@lebrunregis

1. Ask the fork owner politely to delete it (recommended first step)

Most of the time the quickest solution is to contact the fork owner and request removal (they can delete their fork from Settings → Danger Zone → Delete this repository). If they agree, they can remove it immediately.

2. If it violates your rights (copyright, private data, etc.) — use GitHub’s content removal processes

If the fork contains copyrighted material you own, or exposes sensitive/private data, you can file an official takedown/report with GitHub. For copyright use the DMCA process (you’ll need to include required info in the notice). For other abuse (spam, doxxing, malware) use the “Report abuse” flow or open a support ticket.

But if you have created a fork of someone else project and wants to delete
Go to your forked repository page on GitHub.
Example: https://github.com/your-username/repo-name
Click on “Settings” (near the top-right of the repo page).
Scroll down to the “Danger Zone” section.
Click “Delete this repository”.
GitHub will ask you to type the repository name to confirm. Type it exactly.
Click “I understand the consequences, delete this repository”.
✅ Done! Your fork will be permanently deleted.

Accept this ans if you find it useful

[RohitSah04]

🔧 Options to Remove a Forked Project

If the fork is in your own account

Just go to the forked repo → Settings → Danger Zone → Delete this repository.

If the fork belongs to someone else

By default, you can’t directly delete another user’s fork.

But you can:

Make your repo private → this automatically removes all public forks (because forks of private repos can’t stay public).

Contact GitHub Support if:

The fork violates your repository’s license.

The fork contains sensitive/private information.

The fork violates GitHub Terms of Service (e.g., malware, abuse).

You have a DMCA takedown request (if they copied code you own and don’t allow redistribution).

GitHub has a DMCA form: GitHub DMCA Takedown
.

If you want to stop future forks

Set the repository to private.

Or if you don’t want to make it private, add a restrictive license (like “All rights reserved”) — but note that GitHub technically still allows forks of public repos; licensing just gives you legal ground to request removal.

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