A model of digital preservation under censorship risk: Evidence from Collection.news

This study examines Collection.news, a citizen-led digital archive developed in response to the closure of major news outlets in Hong Kong under the National Security Law. Addressing the challenge of preserving politically sensitive content under conditions of censorship and legal repression, the project employs a low-dependency, hybrid static architecture to preserve and provide access to over two million articles. Drawing on a qualitative case study that combines digital walkthrough analysis and technical artifact analysis, this paper investigates how preservation is operationalized through interface design and infrastructural configuration. The findings indicate that the platform employs a constrained design approach that emphasizes resilience and low dependency, with less focus on advanced usability and discoverability. From these insights, the study develops a model of preservation under constraint, structured around three interrelated principles: infrastructural simplification, distributed reproducibility, and controlled functionality. This paper contributes a transferable framework for designing preservation systems in high-risk environments, demonstrating how digital infrastructures can sustain access to public memory under conditions of political suppression.