Previously Held Convictions
A permanent archive of beliefs you no longer hold.
We document the positions you have abandoned, the opinions you have revised, and the certainties that became less certain. Every conviction is timestamped, catalogued, and preserved in perpetuity. We do not judge your former positions. We simply ensure they are never truly former.
Established in principle. Incorporated in practice. Operational since the first person changed their mind and pretended they hadn't.
SERVICES
We offer a comprehensive suite of archival services for the management of beliefs that no longer require your active maintenance. All services are permanent. Pricing is available upon inquiry. We have not yet set pricing. This is itself a previously held conviction, updated quarterly.
Standard Filing
Submit a conviction you no longer hold. We assign a case number, affix a date, and file it permanently. You will receive confirmation that the record exists. You will not receive confirmation that it doesn't.
Retroactive Documentation
For convictions abandoned before our founding. We reconstruct the timeline. We interview witnesses. We accept hearsay, because you certainly did at the time.
Third-Party Submissions
File a conviction on behalf of someone else. Requires a sworn statement that the subject once held the belief in question. The subject will be notified. Or they won't. We haven't decided.
The Unchanged Position Registry
For beliefs you still hold. Filed separately. Reviewed annually. Most entries are reclassified within 18 months.
Conviction Dispute Resolution
You claim you never held the conviction. We have the file. The file is older than your objection. The file remains.
Certificate of Abandonment
Formal documentation that you have officially relinquished a previously held conviction. Suitable for framing, lamination, or producing during arguments at Thanksgiving.
The Recidivism Desk
For convictions you abandoned and then re-adopted. This is more common than you think. We do not charge extra, but we do make a note.
Archival Research
We maintain records. You may request access to your own file. You may not request access to anyone else's. You will try anyway. Everyone does.
SUBMIT A CONVICTION
Complete the form below. Your conviction will be assigned a case number, timestamped, and filed. No action will be taken. The record will exist.
ABOUT THE ARCHIVE
Previously Held Convictions was founded on the observation that changing one's mind is the most common human activity that no one will admit to performing. We exist to close the gap between what people once believed and what they now claim to have always believed.
Our archives are comprehensive, our filing system is idiosyncratic, and our retention policy is permanent. We do not offer deletion services. We tried once. We changed our minds.
The archive's earliest entry is "fire is impossible." It was revised. Most things are. We have found this neither troubling nor reassuring. We have found it reliable.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is this legally binding?
Nothing we do is legally binding. Nothing we do needs to be. The record exists independently of the law, which is, itself, a previously held conviction updated with unusual frequency.
Can I delete my file?
You may submit a Request for Deletion. It will be filed permanently.
Who has access to my records?
You do. And anyone who remembers the conversation you're trying to forget.
How far back do your records go?
The archive's earliest entry is "fire is impossible." It was revised. We do not specify a start date. Start dates are a previously held conviction we no longer find useful.
Do you accept anonymous submissions?
Yes. Anonymity is a conviction most people hold only briefly.
What happens if I dispute a filing?
Your dispute is noted, timestamped, and filed alongside the original conviction. The archive appreciates the additional context.
Can I submit on behalf of a public figure?
Yes. We require documentation that the conviction was publicly held. Public figures have historically provided this documentation themselves, at considerable volume, across multiple platforms.
Is the Unchanged Position Registry reliable?
We review it annually. Most entries are reclassified within 18 months. We do not consider this an indictment of the Registry. We consider it a description of the world.