# Sentinel February Update

The latest **Sentinel February Update** brings major improvements to the **evidence system** and introduces the **Public Registry**, allowing for better ban list sharing and API control. Read on to learn about the key changes!

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### **Evidence System Enhancements**

We've made important updates to the **evidence system**, giving moderators more flexibility in managing case details:

* **Comments can now be added to evidence** – Whether evidence contains a file or not, you can now attach comments. This allows for better documentation and justification of bans.
* **Evidence expiration extended** – Previously, evidence expired after **30 days**, but we've pushed this to **60 days**, giving you more time to review and retain important case data.
* **Upload evidence with links** – Moderators can now submit evidence as a **link**, rather than just a file, making it easier to reference external sources using the new comments feature.

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### **Public Registry: Share Your Ban List**

We've introduced the **Public Registry**, allowing communities to **share their ban lists with others** using a **Public API Key**. Here’s how it works:

* **Only users with your Public API Key can access your ban list.**
* Users with this key can only call the following endpoints:
  * **`/bans`** – Retrieves the list of banned users.
  * **`/is-banned`** – Checks if a specific user is banned.
* **Users with a Public API Key cannot**:
  * Publish new bans
  * Edit existing bans
  * Modify or delete evidence

This feature ensures that **trusted users can access ban data without compromising security or moderation control.**

{% hint style="danger" %}
***UPDATE***\
As of March 5th, 2025 `/bans` has been blocked, and Public API keys may only now access the following endpoints:\
\* `/is-banned`

We are debating on removal of `/bans` endpoint access for the Public API. Therefore we recommend relying on the `/is-banned` endpoint only.
{% endhint %}

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### **API Fixes & Updates**

We've also applied a security improvement to the **`/is-banned` API endpoint**, which now requires **authentication**.

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you are using the **Sentinel Luau SDK**, please **update your integration** to ensure continued functionality as the **previous SDK Version cannot handle** the new Authentication requirements without manual code modification.
{% endhint %}

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These updates bring **more control, better evidence management, and enhanced API security** to Sentinel. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out in our **Sentinel Discord Server**.

Stay safe and keep moderating effectively!

— The Sentinel Team