1996 founded Standing
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Internet Archive
the moat is real
30 years 100 days and counting
Founded 12 May 1996. The closest thing the web has to a public attic.
Why it lasted
- It is the memory of the web, and even companies that sue it still need the Wayback Machine.
- Brewster Kahle treats it like a library, which is a worse business and a better institution.
- When a site dies, this is where journalists go. That makes it load-bearing.
Times it almost ended
- The 2024 DDoS and account breach. It came back.
- Publishers' lawsuits over controlled digital lending. The Wayback Machine is the part that is hardest to kill in court.
What would finish it
- A legal ruling that makes crawling the live web into infringement at scale, plus a funding cliff.
Questions
Is Internet Archive still up?
Yes, with a Standing verdict: the moat is real. Founded 1996.
How long has Internet Archive been around?
Internet Archive has been up since 1996-05-12.
Why did Internet Archive survive?
It is the memory of the web, and even companies that sue it still need the Wayback Machine.
Could Internet Archive still die?
A legal ruling that makes crawling the live web into infringement at scale, plus a funding cliff.