WIRED’s Post

The #web’s collective memory is stored in the servers of the Internet Archive.   It is one of the most important historical-preservation organizations in the world. The Wayback Machine has assumed a default position as a safety valve against digital oblivion. Its #employees are some of its most devoted congregants. “It's a window into the late-’90s web ethos and late-’90s San Francisco culture—the crunchy side, before it got all #techbro. It's utopian, it's idealistic.” But the Internet Archive also has its foes. Since 2020, it’s been mired in legal battles. In Hachette v. Internet Archive, book publishers complained that the #nonprofit infringed on #copyright by loaning out digitized versions of physical books. In UMG Recordings v. Internet Archive, music labels have alleged that the Internet Archive infringed on copyright by digitizing recordings. Because the internet has entrusted its collective memory to this one idiosyncratic institution. It now faces the prospect of losing it all. Is there a better way to archive everything online? Have your say in the comments.

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