Chapter 4 of 7 · Shops, work and everyday life · Evidence kit

What to capture today

Evidence disappears: posts are edited, reviews vanish, CCTV is overwritten within weeks. Everything on this list is something you can do yourself, now, before any decision about a solicitor.

Something online

Full-page screenshots showing the URL and the date and timeOn a phone, scroll and capture each screen; on a computer, use the browser's full-page capture. Make sure the address bar and the clock are visible.
The account name, handle and profile linkCopy the link to the profile, not just the name. Note the display name and the handle separately; display names change.
Who saw it: likes, shares, comments, group sizeCapture the counts and, where visible, who reacted. Reach matters to what a court would award.
Save a copy outside the platformEmail the screenshots to yourself or save them to a dated folder, so a deleted post does not take your evidence with it.
Any replies that repeat or spread itA repeat by someone else can be a separate publication with its own time limit.

Something said out loud

Write down the words, when, where and who was present, todayA note made the same day carries weight. Date it and keep it unedited.
Names and contact details of anyone who heard itAsk them to make their own dated note of what they heard.
In a shop: the receipt, and a note of the staff member and any security firmKeep the receipt for anything you paid for. Note the time and the till or aisle.
In a shop: ask for the CCTV in writing, todayYou have a right of access to footage of yourself under the GDPR. Write to the shop (data protection officer or manager) asking for it to be preserved and provided; many systems overwrite within 30 days.

A newspaper, magazine or broadcast

The original article with the date, edition and page, or the broadcast date and timeBuy or photograph the printed copy; save the web version as a PDF with the URL and date.
The online version and any social posts promoting itA publisher's own share of the article is part of the same publication; a reader's share may be a separate one.
Note the Press Ombudsman's three-month or the broadcaster's 30-day windowBoth are much shorter than the one-year limit for court. The time-limit checker gives the dates.

What it has done to you

A dated record of consequences: lost work, cancelled bookings, messages from people who saw itKeep the messages themselves. Loss of business is what a company claimant must show since 2026, and it helps an individual's case too.
Copies of every request you make and every replyA dated request to take it down, ignored, is evidence of conduct that affects damages and costs.

What not to do

Do not reply publicly or get into a thread about itA public reply spreads the statement further and can be quoted against you.
Do not repeat the statement in posts, messages or complaints to third partiesRepeating it yourself can be a publication; describe it, link to it, and keep the words themselves in your private evidence.
Do not contact the author's employer, family or customersThat can become a defamation or harassment complaint against you.
Do not name the author or the shop on social mediaThis site does not name anyone a reader describes, for the same reason.
Do not send a letter that threatens court unless you mean itA threat you do not follow through on weakens the next letter. A polite dated request to take it down is enough for now.

A checklist of what to keep and what to avoid. It does not say whether any statement is defamatory or whether a defence applies.