The Brian Lehrer Show

Preserving the Internet

Apr 17, 2025
Mark Graham, Director of the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, plays a crucial role in preserving digital history. He discusses the challenges of maintaining web content as companies move away from preservation. Graham highlights initiatives like the End of Term Archive to safeguard U.S. government sites and stresses the importance of transparency in community governance. Personal anecdotes reveal the significance of capturing personal narratives, ensuring that voices from the past, like those of WWII veterans, remain accessible for future generations.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Internet as Human Nervous System

  • The internet is like a nervous system and communication platform for humanity.
  • The web allows sharing of human experiences and is the publishing platform of our times.
ANECDOTE

Web Archiving Began 30 Years Ago

  • Bruce Jekyll started archiving the web almost 30 years ago to preserve fragile, singular web content.
  • The Internet Archive now archives about a billion URLs daily, preserving internet history.
ADVICE

How To Save Any Webpage

  • Anyone can save a webpage by going to web.archive.org/save and entering the URL.
  • The saved pages are stored and maintained indefinitely for public access and sharing.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app