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Decoder with Nilay Patel
How the Wayback Machine is fighting linkrot
Sep 5, 2024
Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, dives into the pressing issue of link rot and digital decay. He highlights the mission of the Internet Archive to preserve the ever-changing web, providing snapshots of sites from the past. The discussion covers the legal challenges faced in digital preservation, the impact of closed platforms, and the importance of open access to information for society. Graham also touches on how evolving technology and funding play critical roles in maintaining this vast digital library.
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Quick takeaways
- The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine is essential for combating digital decay, enabling access to snapshots of the web's lost content.
- The organization faces ethical challenges regarding copyright and privacy while striving to preserve culturally significant online materials.
Deep dives
Digital Decay and Link Rot
The phenomenon known as digital decay, or link rot, refers to the increasing inaccessibility of online content, with a significant portion of the web disappearing over time. A study revealed that approximately 38% of all links from 2013 are now broken, highlighting that large chunks of online media and culture are no longer available. This issue affects not only older websites from the early internet but also established institutions, resulting in many news outlets and significant journalism lost forever. The conversation emphasizes the urgent need for preservation efforts to combat this loss, particularly as many well-known platforms and publications, like MTV News and Gawker, have vanished without a trace.
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