GitHub has introduced a new feature allowing users to delete projects that have been forked without affecting the forks, resolving a previous limitation where deleted repositories would disrupt all associated forks. This is achieved by storing deleted repositories in a "graveyard," thereby preserving space and maintaining the integrity of forks by dissociating the repo's objects from the original account. However, this feature does not apply to private repositories; if a private repository is deleted, all its forks are also removed for security reasons, necessitating communication with collaborators. The solution highlights GitHub's commitment to optimizing open-source project management while maintaining security for private repositories.