Mark Graham from the Internet Archive discusses his organization's vital role in preserving digital history during presidential transitions. He emphasizes the urgency of documenting events like the January 6th insurrection and the bipartisan need to protect information from political tampering. The podcast dives into the technical challenges of archiving vast amounts of data, the impact on future AI training, and the necessity of maintaining a historical record, especially concerning climate change data. Graham's passion for digital preservation shines through as he shares insights into this crucial work.
The Internet Archive plays a vital role in preserving digital government history to prevent partisan tampering and ensure access to crucial records.
The archiving process involves extensive collaboration and the use of 'crawling' techniques to capture a comprehensive array of digital materials at risk of being lost.
Deep dives
Significance of Digital Archiving
Digital archiving plays a crucial role in preserving our historical and political records, especially as political landscapes shift. The Internet Archive, spearheaded by Mark Graham, emphasizes the need to store government websites and online materials before those resources are potentially lost with new administrations. This effort is particularly vital during times when committees investigating significant events, such as the January 6th insurrection, might be disbanded, risking the removal of critical documentation. By capturing these materials, the project ensures access to important historical narratives that could otherwise vanish from public view.
The Archiving Process
The process of archiving involves extensive coordination among various organizations to catalog and capture a comprehensive list of URLs to be archived. Mark Graham describes how archivists identify and aggregate potential sites for archiving, including unexpected sources and social media platforms. This collaborative effort utilizes a technique called 'crawling,' which allows archivists to explore and collect data from linked pages effectively. The undertaking is massive, with estimates suggesting that it may accumulate at least 200 to 300 terabytes of data, equating to several hundred laptops worth of storage.
Future Implications and Challenges
The ongoing archiving initiative not only preserves information but also raises questions about the integrity of historical records, especially amid political changes. For example, concerns over altered narratives on government websites highlight the need for comprehensive digital records, as changes can appear benign yet hide significant data loss. Mark Graham acknowledges that while not everything archived may seem essential today, future historians might find unexpected value in the preserved context of those materials. This effort underscores the continuous challenge of identifying what information is at risk and the importance of saving as much as possible to uphold our collective memory.
The transition from one presidential administration to the next is generally thought to start around Election Day and end with the inauguration. But for the Internet Archive, it’s already underway. The nonprofit leads a coalition of libraries and universities that works to preserve the government’s digital history and to protect it from partisan tampering during administration changes. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly discusses what it takes to archive a president with the Internet Archive’s Mark Graham.