451 Unavailable For Legal Reasons

Stands for: HTTP status code 451

The HTTP status code for a resource withheld because of a legal demand, numbered after Fahrenheit 451.

RFC 7725, published in February 2016 and written by Tim Bray, defines status code 451 for use when resource access is denied as a consequence of legal demands, so that a block ordered by a court or a government is distinguishable from an ordinary 403. The number is a literary choice: Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is the novel about burning books, and the RFC's acknowledgements end with Thanks also to Ray Bradbury. Unlike 418 it is a real, standards-track code with a real job, which is why it is listed as a term and not as lore; it belongs with the hidden messages because the nod is deliberate and written into the document itself.

Also known as: 451, RFC 7725, Unavailable For Legal Reasons

Sources

RFC 7725, An HTTP Status Code to Report Legal Obstacles, T. Bray, February 2016: a status code for use when resource access is denied as a consequence of legal demands; the acknowledgements end 'Thanks also to Ray Bradbury'

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