{{short description|American non-profit digital archive}} {{redirect-distinguish|archive.org|arXiv|archive.today}} {{use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{use American English|date=April 2025}} {{infobox website | name = Internet Archive | logo = frameless|class=skin-invert|alt=Internet Archive logo | logo_size = 194px | logo_alt = Logo of Internet Archive | caption = Logo of the Internet Archive | company_type = Nonprofit organization | website_type = Digital library | language = English | launch_date = {{start date and age|1996}} | foundation = {{start date and age|1996|05|10}} | location = {{Plainlist| * 300 Funston Avenue * Richmond District * San Francisco, California, U.S. * {{coord|37.782321|-122.471611|type:landmark_region:US-CA|display=title,inline}} }} | founder = Brewster Kahle | chairman = Brewster Kahle | services = {{ubl|Archive-It|Open Library|Wayback Machine (since 2001)|Vault|Netlabels|NASA Images|Prelinger Archives}} | revenue = {{Decrease}} $23.7 million (2023)<ref name="form990-2023">{{cite web|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/943242767/202413189349306331/full|title=Full text of "Full Filing" for fiscal year ending Dec. 2023|date=May 9, 2013 |via=ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer|access-date=June 13, 2025|archive-date=December 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241231221120/https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/943242767/202413189349306331/full|url-status=live}}</ref> | assets = {{Increase}} $16.6 million (2023)<ref name="form990-2023"/> | num_employees = {{Decrease}} 122 (2021)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/943242767/202233199349312193/full|title=Full text of "Full Filing" for fiscal year ending Dec. 2021|date=May 9, 2013 |via=ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer|access-date=June 13, 2025|archive-date=April 15, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250415075005/https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/943242767/202233199349312193/full|url-status=live}}</ref> | commercial = No | current_status = Active<!-- DO NOT CHANGE STATUS UNLESS ENTIRE SITE IS DOWN for multiple days. isitdownrightnow.com is useful to track short duration outages. We are an encyclopedia, not a website health check with minute to minute updates. --> | url = {{Official URL}}{{br}}{{Onion URL|archivep75mbjunhxc6x4j5mwjmomyxb573v42baldlqu56ruil2oiad}}<ref>{{cite web |title=The Offline Internet Archive |url=https://blog.archive.org/the-offline-internet-archive/ |website=Internet Archive Blogs |date=25 September 2025}}</ref> | footnotes = | module = {{Infobox network service provider |child=yes }} }} [[File:Internet Archive - 5079018246.jpg|thumb|Since late 2009, the headquarters of the Internet Archive has been the building that formerly housed the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist in San Francisco, California.]]
The '''Internet Archive''' is an American non-profit library founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org.<ref name="Found1">{{cite web |last=<!-- no byline --> |title=archive.org WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info – DomainTools |url=http://whois.domaintools.com/archive.org |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105233448/http://whois.domaintools.com/archive.org |archive-date=November 5, 2018 |access-date=March 13, 2016 |publisher=WHOIS}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20230813">{{cite news |last=Streitfeld |first=David |date=August 13, 2023 |title=The Dream Was Universal Access to Knowledge. The Result Was a Fiasco. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/13/business/media/internet-archive-emergency-lending-library.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815103626/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/13/business/media/internet-archive-emergency-lending-library.html |archive-date=August 15, 2023 |access-date=August 15, 2023 |work=The New York Times |quote=In the pandemic emergency, Brewster Kahle's Internet Archive freely lent out digital scans of its library. Publishers sued. Owning a book means something different now.}} ----The archive link provides access to full text of the article.</ref> It provides free access to collections of digitized media including websites, software applications, music, audiovisual, and print materials. The Archive also advocates a free and open Internet. Its mission is committing to provide "universal access to all knowledge".<ref name="Archive2024">{{cite web |title=About IA |url=https://archive.org/about |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712223311/http://archive.org/about|archive-date=July 12, 2023 |access-date=February 4, 2024 |publisher=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Zomorodi |first1=Manoush |title=How do you create an internet archive of all human knowledge? |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/01/27/1151702292/how-do-you-create-an-internet-archive-of-all-human-knowledge |access-date=January 19, 2026 |work=TED Radio Hour |publisher=NPR |date=January 27, 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
The Internet Archive allows the public to upload and download digital material to its data cluster, but the bulk of its data is collected automatically by its web crawlers, which work to preserve as much of the public web as possible. The Wayback Machine, its web archive, contains more than 1 trillion web captures.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gold |first=Hadas |date=2025-11-16 |title=Inside the old church where one trillion webpages are stored |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/16/tech/internet-archive-wayback-machine |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251117080344/https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/16/tech/internet-archive-wayback-machine|archive-date=November 17, 2025 |access-date=2025-12-01 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Grotke |first=A. |date=December 2011 |title=Web Archiving at the Library of Congress |url=http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/dec11/Grotke.shtml |magazine=Computers in Libraries |publisher=Information Today |volume=31 |pages=15–19 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215201723/http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/dec11/Grotke.shtml |archive-date=December 15, 2013 |number=10}}</ref> The Archive also oversees numerous book digitization projects, collectively one of the world's largest book digitization efforts. The archive is used frequently by journalists and Wikipedia editors.<ref>{{cite news |last=Benton |first=Joshua |date=March 24, 2022 |title=After 25 years, Brewster Kahle and the Internet Archive are still working to democratize knowledge |url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/03/after-25-years-brewster-kahle-and-the-internet-archive-are-still-working-to-democratize-knowledge/ |work=NiemanLab |archive-date=March 24, 2022 |access-date=March 19, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220324190727/https://www.niemanlab.org/2022/03/after-25-years-brewster-kahle-and-the-internet-archive-are-still-working-to-democratize-knowledge/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Finley |first=Klint |title=The Internet Archive Is Making Wikipedia More Reliable |url=https://www.wired.com/story/internet-archive-wikipedia-more-reliable/ |access-date=2026-03-19 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Belanger |first=Ashley |date=2025-11-03 |title=Internet Archive's legal fights are over, but its founder mourns what was lost |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/11/the-internet-archive-survived-major-copyright-losses-whats-next/ |access-date=2026-03-19 |website=Ars Technica |language=en}}</ref>
==History== [[File:Internet Archive headquarters exterior February 2008.jpg|thumb|Headquarters in Building 116 of the Presidio of San Francisco in 2008]]
Brewster Kahle founded the Archive in May 1996, around the same time that he began the for-profit web crawling company Alexa Internet.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781444314861 |title=The Handbook of Internet Studies |publisher=Wiley |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4051-8588-2 |editor-last=Consalvo |editor-first=Mia |editor-link=Mia Consalvo |edition=1st |pages=24–42 |chapter=Web Archiving – Between Past, Present, and Future |doi=10.1002/9781444314861 |access-date=September 11, 2022 |editor-last2=Ess |editor-first2=Charles |chapter-url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781444314861.ch2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910053354/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781444314861 |archive-date=September 10, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/sciam_article.html |title=Brewster Kahle . In Scientific American |work=Internet Archive |date=November 4, 1997 |access-date=April 1, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971011050140/https://archive.org/sciam_article.html |archive-date=October 11, 1997 }}</ref> The first and oldest page ever archived was a December 1996 edition of USA Today.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pegorago |first1=Rob |title=In case you missed it: The Internet Archive turns 25 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2021/10/29/internet-archive-25-take-wayback-machine-back-1996/6196494001/ |access-date=27 May 2026 |work=USA Today |date=29 October 2021}}</ref> By October of that year, the Internet Archive had begun to archive and preserve the World Wide Web in large amounts.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pegoraro |first1=Rob |title=In case you missed it: The Internet Archive turns 25 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2021/10/29/internet-archive-25-take-wayback-machine-back-1996/6196494001/ |access-date=19 January 2026 |work=USA TODAY |date=November 2, 2021}}</ref> The archived content became more easily available to the general public in 2001, through the Wayback Machine.
In late 1999, the Archive expanded its collections beyond the web archive, beginning with the Prelinger Archives. Now, the Internet Archive includes texts, audio, moving images, and software. It hosts a number of other projects: the NASA Images Archive, the contract crawling service Archive-It, and the wiki-editable library catalog and book information site Open Library. Soon after that, the Archive began working to provide specialized services relating to the information access needs of the print-disabled; publicly accessible books were made available in a protected Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) format.<ref>{{cite web |title=Internet Archive history |url=https://www.zippia.com/internet-archive-careers-710285/history/ |website=zippia.com |access-date=27 May 2026 |location=The history of Internet Archive}}</ref>
In 2004, the {{ill|Internet Archive Europe|qid=Q136475816}} was founded in the Netherlands.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.internetarchive.eu/ |title= Internet Archive Europe - non-profit research library |accessdate=20 April 2026 |publisher=Internet Archive Europe}}</ref>
In August 2012, the Archive began adding BitTorrent to its file download options.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McAllister |first1=Neil |title=Internet Archive serves up 1.4 million BitTorrent downloads |url=https://www.theregister.com/2012/08/08/internet_archive_bittorrent/ |access-date=19 January 2026 |publisher=The Register |date=August 8, 2012}}</ref>
In November 2016, Kahle announced that the Internet Archive was building the Internet Archive of Canada, a copy of the Archive to be based somewhere in Canada. The announcement received widespread coverage due to the implication that the decision to build a backup archive in a foreign country was because of the upcoming presidency of Donald Trump.<ref name="KahleCanada">{{cite web|url=https://blog.archive.org/2016/11/29/help-us-keep-the-archive-free-accessible-and-private/ |title=Help Us Keep the Archive Free, Accessible, and Reader Private |last=Kahle |first=Brewster |date=November 29, 2016 |website=Internet Archive |access-date=December 2, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521080543/http://blog.archive.org/2016/11/29/help-us-keep-the-archive-free-accessible-and-private/ |archive-date=May 21, 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article118256733.html |title=Donald Trump scares Internet Archive into moving to Canada |last=Johnson |first=Tim |date=December 1, 2016 |website=McClatchy DC |access-date=December 2, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161202113547/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article118256733.html |archive-date=December 2, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.attn.com/stories/13238/the-internet-archive-is-moving-to-canada-due-to-trump-presidency |title=The Internet Archive Is Moving to Canada to Protect Itself from Trump |last=Rothschild |first=Mike |date=December 2, 2016 |website=Attn |access-date=December 2, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203060818/http://www.attn.com/stories/13238/the-internet-archive-is-moving-to-canada-due-to-trump-presidency |archive-date=December 3, 2016 }}</ref> Beginning in 2017, OCLC and the Internet Archive have collaborated to make the Archive's records of digitized books available in WorldCat.<ref>{{cite web |last=Michalko |first=Jim |date=October 12, 2017 |title=Syncing Catalogs with thousands of Libraries in 120 Countries through OCLC |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/10/12/syncing-catalogs-with-thousands-of-libraries-in-120-countries-through-oclc/ |website=blog.archive.org |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=2020-07-18}}</ref>
Since 2018, the Internet Archive visual arts residency has helped to connect digital history with the arts and create something for future generations to appreciate online or off.<ref name=":1">{{cite web |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90179133/the-internet-archive-is-helping-these-artists-get-inspired-by-digital-history |title=The Internet Archive is helping these artists get inspired by digital history |last=Locker |first=Melissa |date=July 3, 2018 |website=Fast Company |access-date=December 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229171518/https://www.fastcompany.com/90179133/the-internet-archive-is-helping-these-artists-get-inspired-by-digital-history |archive-date=December 29, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Previous artists in residence include Taravat Talepasand<ref name=":1" /> and Jenny Odell.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=September 27, 2019|title=Jenny Odell – Neo-Surreal|url=https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/whats-on/display/jenny-odell-neo-surreal|date=May 30, 2018|website=The Photographers’ Gallery|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927183322/https://thephotographersgallery.org.uk/whats-on/display/jenny-odell-neo-surreal|archive-date=September 27, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The Internet Archive acquires most materials from donations,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://help.archive.org/help/how-do-i-make-a-physical-donation-to-the-internet-archive/ |title=How do I make a physical donation to the Internet Archive? |website=Internet Archive Help Center |access-date=July 4, 2022}} See also: {{cite web |url=https://blog.archive.org/tag/donations/ |title=Tag Archives: donations |website=Internet Archive Blogs |access-date=December 4, 2020 }}</ref> such as hundreds of thousands of 78 rpm discs from Boston Public Library in 2017,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bpl.org/news/boston-public-library-transfers-sound-archives-collection-to-internet-archive-for-digitization-preservation-and-public-access/ |title=Boston Public Library transfers sound archives collection to Internet Archive for digitization, preservation, and public access |website=Boston Public Library |date=October 11, 2017 |access-date=December 4, 2020 |archive-date=January 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123103821/https://www.bpl.org/news/boston-public-library-transfers-sound-archives-collection-to-internet-archive-for-digitization-preservation-and-public-access/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a donation of 250,000 books from Trent University in 2018,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.trentu.ca/news/story/22235 |title=Trent University donates 250,000 books to be digitized by Internet Archive as part of Bata Library transformation |website=Trent University |date=September 13, 2018 |access-date=December 4, 2020 |archive-date=November 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130175028/https://www.trentu.ca/news/story/22235 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the entire collection of Marygrove College's library after it closed in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/10/21/marygrove-college-library-materials-have-been-digitized-and-placed-online-will |title=A new home online for closed college libraries? |last=Seltzer |first=Rick |website=Inside Higher Ed |date=October 21, 2020 |access-date=December 4, 2020 |archive-date=December 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204122351/https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/10/21/marygrove-college-library-materials-have-been-digitized-and-placed-online-will |url-status=live }}</ref> All material is then digitized and retained in digital storage, while a digital copy is returned to the original holder and the Internet Archive's copy, if not in the public domain, is lent to patrons worldwide one at a time under the controlled digital lending (CDL) theory of the first-sale doctrine.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=internet-archive-expands-partnerships-for-open-library-project|title=Internet Archive Expands Partnerships for Open Libraries Project|author=Matt Enis|date=May 2, 2019|access-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503180918/https://www.libraryjournal.com/%3FdetailStory%3Dinternet-archive-expands-partnerships-for-open-library-project|archive-date=May 3, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
On June 1, 2020, four large publishing houses – Hachette Book Group, Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, and John Wiley – filed a lawsuit against the Internet Archive before the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, claiming that the Internet Archive's practice of controlled digital lending constituted copyright infringement. On March 25, 2023, the court found in favor of the publishers. The negotiated judgment of August 11, 2023, barred the Internet Archive from digitally lending books for which electronic copies are on sale.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wolfson |first1=Stephen |title=A look at the latest ruling against the Internet Archive |url=https://www.library.upenn.edu/news/internet-archive-update |access-date=19 January 2026 |work=Penn Libraries |date=October 2, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
Also on August 11, 2023, the music industry giants Universal Music Group, Sony Music and Concord (together with their respective labels Capitol Records, Arista Records and CMGI Recorded Music Assets) sued the Internet Archive before the same United States District Court for the Southern District of New York over the Internet Archive's Great 78 Project for $621 million in damages from alleged copyright infringement.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brittain |first=Blake |title=Music labels sue Internet Archive over digitized record collection |publisher=Reuters |date=August 12, 2023 |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/music-labels-sue-internet-archive-over-digitized-record-collection-2023-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230812025942/https://www.reuters.com/legal/music-labels-sue-internet-archive-over-digitized-record-collection-2023-08-12/ |url-status=live |location=Washington |editor-first1=David |editor-last1=Bario |editor-last2=Craft |editor-first2=Diane |archive-date=August 12, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Claburn |first=Thomas |title=Internet Archive sued by record labels as battle with book publishers intensifies |work=The Register |date=August 14, 2023 |url=https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/14/internet_archive_sued_by_music_labels |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127050441/https://www.theregister.com/2023/08/14/internet_archive_sued_by_music_labels |url-status=live |archive-date=November 27, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Blistein">{{cite magazine |last=Blistein |first=Jon |title=Inside the $621 Million Legal Battle for the 'Soul of the Internet' |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=September 29, 2024 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/internet-archive-major-label-music-lawsuit-1235105273 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240929142625/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/internet-archive-major-label-music-lawsuit-1235105273/ |url-status=live |archive-date=September 29, 2024}}</ref> The lawsuit was settled in September 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last=Belanger |first=Ashley |date=2025-09-15 |title=Internet Archive's big battle with music publishers ends in settlement |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/09/internet-archives-big-battle-with-music-publishers-ends-in-settlement/ |access-date=2025-09-24 |website=Ars Technica |archive-date=September 23, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250923010050/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/09/internet-archives-big-battle-with-music-publishers-ends-in-settlement/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In September 2024, Google and the Internet Archive announced a collaboration where links to the Wayback Machine would be included in the 'more about this page' menu in Google Search. This collaboration effectively replaced Google's own Google Cache service that it had retired earlier that year.<ref name="Verge">{{cite web | url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/2/24058985/google-search-cache-feature-discontinued | title=Google Search's cache links are officially being retired | date=2 February 2024 | access-date=March 25, 2025 | archive-date=March 25, 2025 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250325153157/https://www.theverge.com/2024/2/2/24058985/google-search-cache-feature-discontinued | url-status=live |website=The Verge|last=Porter|first=Jon}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Freeland |first=Chris |title=New Feature Alert: Access Archived Webpages Directly Through Google Search |work=The Internet Archive |date=September 11, 2024 |access-date=2024-09-11 |url=https://blog.archive.org/2024/09/11/new-feature-alert-access-archived-webpages-directly-through-google-search/}}</ref> On July 24, 2025, Internet Archive was designated as a Federal Depository Library by the U.S. Senate, allowing it to store public access government records.<ref>{{cite web |last=Freeland |first=Chris |date=2025-07-24 |title=Internet Archive Designated as a Federal Depository Library {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2025/07/24/internet-archive-designated-as-a-federal-depository-library/ |access-date=2025-07-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/general/internet-archive-is-now-an-official-us-government-document-library-123036065.html | title = Internet Archive is now an official US government document library | first = Steve | last = Dent | date = July 25, 2025 | access-date = July 25, 2025 | work = Engadget | archive-date = July 25, 2025 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250725140836/https://www.engadget.com/general/internet-archive-is-now-an-official-us-government-document-library-123036065.html | url-status = live }}</ref> It opened a new headquarters for its European branch on 19 September 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bustillos |first1=Maria |date=23 September 2025 |title=Freedom and Sharing at the Internet Archive Europe |url=http://www.flaminghydra.com/freedom-and-sharing-at-the-internet-archive-europe |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250926142200/https://flaminghydra.com/freedom-and-sharing-at-the-internet-archive-europe/ |archive-date=September 26, 2025 |access-date=8 October 2025 |website=Flaming Hydra}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Murch |first=Beatrice |date=2025-09-22 |title=Oudeschans, Old Ramparts and New Guardians: Reflections on the Internet Archive Europe Open House - Internet Archive Europe |url=https://www.internetarchive.eu/2025/09/22/oudeschans-old-ramparts-and-new-guardians-reflections-on-the-internet-archive-europe-open-house/ |access-date=2026-04-15 |language=en-US}}</ref>
On October 22, 2025, Internet Archive held an event in San Francisco to celebrate the first trillion web pages archived in Wayback Machine, a number that was described as a ''civilization-scale milestone''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-31 |title=One Trillion Web Pages Archived: Internet Archive Celebrates a Civilization-Scale Milestone {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2025/10/31/one-trillion-web-pages-archived-internet-archive-celebrates-a-civilization-scale-milestone/ |access-date=2026-04-11 |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== 2024 cyberattacks === During the week of May 27, 2024, the Internet Archive suffered a series of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that made its services unavailable intermittently, sometimes for hours at a time, over a period of several days.<ref>{{cite web |last=Irwin |first=Kate |date=2024-05-28 |title=Internet Archive Hit With DDoS Attacks |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/internet-archive-hit-with-ddos-attack |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528174047/https://www.pcmag.com/news/internet-archive-hit-with-ddos-attack |url-status=live |archive-date=May 28, 2024 |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=PCMag}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Baran |first=Guru |date=2024-05-28 |title=Internet Archive is Under DDoS Attack For Several Hours |url=https://cybersecuritynews.com/internet-archive-under-ddos-attack/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240528174543/https://cybersecuritynews.com/internet-archive-under-ddos-attack/ |url-status=live |archive-date=May 28, 2024 |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=Cyber Security News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Moon |first=Mariella |date=2024-05-29 |title=The Internet Archive has been fending off DDoS attacks for days |url=https://www.engadget.com/the-internet-archive-has-been-fending-off-ddos-attacks-for-days-035950028.html |access-date=2024-05-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241010003625/https://www.engadget.com/the-internet-archive-has-been-fending-off-ddos-attacks-for-days-035950028.html |url-status=live |archive-date=October 10, 2024 |website=Engadget}}</ref> The attack was claimed on May 28 by a hacker group called SN_BLACKMETA,<ref name="JL">{{cite news |last=Lyons |first=Jessica |title=Multi-day DDoS storm batters Internet Archive |publisher=The Register |date=May 29, 2024 |url=https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/29/ddos_internet_archive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240601162543/https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/29/ddos_internet_archive/ |archive-date=June 1, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WD" /> with possible links to Anonymous Sudan.<ref name="Radware">{{citation |title=Six-day, 14.7 Million RPS Web DDoS Attack Campaign Attributed to SN_BLACKMETA |publisher=Radware |date=July 24, 2024 |url=https://www.radware.com/security/threat-advisories-and-attack-reports/six-day-web-ddos-attack-campaign/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240725060417/https://www.radware.com/security/threat-advisories-and-attack-reports/six-day-web-ddos-attack-campaign/ |archive-date=July 25, 2024}}</ref> The incident drew a comparison with the 2023 British Library cyberattack, which affected the UK Web Archive.<ref>{{citation |last=Stokel-Walker |first=Chris |title=We're losing our digital history. Can the Internet Archive save it? |publisher=BBC |date=September 16, 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240912-the-archivists-battling-to-save-the-internet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916093934/https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240912-the-archivists-battling-to-save-the-internet |url-status=live |archive-date=September 16, 2024}}</ref>
thumb|Internet Archive main page showing partially available services
Beginning October 9, 2024, the Internet Archive's team, including archivist Jason Scott and security researcher Scott Helme, confirmed DDoS attacks, site defacement, and a data breach. The purported hacktivist group SN_BLACKMETA again claimed responsibility.<ref name="Bleep">{{cite web |title=Internet Archive hacked, data breach impacts 31 million users |first=Lawrence |last=Abrams |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/internet-archive-hacked-data-breach-impacts-31-million-users/ |archive-date=October 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241010044518/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/internet-archive-hacked-data-breach-impacts-31-million-users/ |url-status=live |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=BleepingComputer}}</ref> A pop-up on the defaced site claimed that there was a "catastrophic" security breach, stating "Have you ever felt like the Internet Archive runs on sticks and is constantly on the verge of suffering a catastrophic security breach? It just happened. See 31 million of you on HIBP!"<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Newman |first1=Lily Hay |first2=Kate |last2=Knibbs |title=Internet Archive Breach Exposes 31 Million Users |url=https://www.wired.com/story/internet-archive-hacked/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241010020542/https://www.wired.com/story/internet-archive-hacked/ |archive-date=October 10, 2024 |url-status=live |access-date=2024-10-11 |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name="WD">{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/9/24266419/internet-archive-ddos-attack-pop-up-message |title=The Internet Archive is under attack, with a breach revealing info for 31 million accounts |first=Wes |last=Davis |publisher=The Verge |url-status=live |date=2024-10-10 |access-date=2024-10-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241010055113/https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/9/24266419/internet-archive-ddos-attack-pop-up-message |archive-date=October 10, 2024}}</ref> It was reported that about 31 million user accounts were affected, and compromised in a file called "ia_users.sql", dated September 28, 2024.<ref name="Bleep" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Hacker Defaces Internet Archive, Steals Data on 31 Million Users |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/hacker-defaces-internet-archive-claims-it-suffered-a-breach |archive-date=November 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241104112618/https://uk.pcmag.com/security/154827/internet-archive-remains-offline-to-focus-on-data-security-after-breach |url-status=live |first=Michael |last=Kan |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=PCMag |date=October 9, 2024}}</ref> The attackers stole users' email addresses and Bcrypt-hashed passwords.<ref>{{cite web |last=Poireault |first=Kevin |date=2024-10-10 |title=Internet Archive Breached, 31 Million Records Exposed |url=https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/internet-archive-breach-31m/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241101061232/https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/internet-archive-breach-31m/ |archive-date=November 1, 2024 |access-date=2024-10-10 |website=Infosecurity Magazine}}</ref>
On October 11, Kahle said that the data is safe, and will bring the service back to normal "in days, not weeks".<ref>{{cite web |last=Roth |first=Emma |date=2024-10-11 |title=The Internet Archive is still down but will return in 'days, not weeks' |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/11/24268040/internet-archive-data-breach-outage-hacked |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=The Verge |archive-date=October 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241017015640/https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/11/24268040/internet-archive-data-breach-outage-hacked |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=After Breach, Internet Archive Expects to Return Within 'Days, Not Weeks' |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/after-breach-internet-archive-expects-to-return-within-days-not-weeks |access-date=2024-10-12 |website=PCMAG |date=October 11, 2024 |archive-date=November 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241115003826/https://www.pcmag.com/news/after-breach-internet-archive-expects-to-return-within-days-not-weeks |url-status=live }}</ref> On October 13, the Wayback Machine was restored in a read-only format, while archiving web pages was temporarily disabled.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/91209670/the-internet-archive-is-back-online-after-a-cyberattack |title=The Internet Archive is back online after a cyberattack |first=Jessica |last=Bursztynsky |work=Fast Company |date=2024-10-14 |access-date=2024-10-14 |archive-date=November 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241102205606/https://www.fastcompany.com/91209670/the-internet-archive-is-back-online-after-a-cyberattack |url-status=live }}</ref> On October 15, 2024, the website was still mostly offline for "prioritizing keeping data safe at the expense of service availability".<ref>{{cite web |last=Kan |first=Michael |date=2024-10-10 |title=Internet Archive Remains Offline to Focus On Data Security After Breach |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/internet-archive-remains-offline-to-focus-on-data-security-after-breach |archive-date=November 16, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251116110937/https://www.pcmag.com/news/internet-archive-remains-offline-to-focus-on-data-security-after-breach|access-date=2024-10-11 |website=PCMag}}</ref>
On October 20, threat actors stole unrotated API tokens and breached Internet Archive on its Zendesk email support platform; they also claimed responsibility for the other breaches yet stated that SN_BLACKMETA was behind just the DDoS attacks.<ref name="bc-abrams">{{cite web |last=Abrams |first=Lawrence |date=2024-10-20 |title=Internet Archive breached again through stolen access tokens |url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/internet-archive-breached-again-through-stolen-access-tokens/ |access-date=20 October 2024 |website=Bleeping Computer |archive-date=October 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241022205118/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/internet-archive-breached-again-through-stolen-access-tokens/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Having been told that threat actors (behind other breaches than SN_BLACKMETA's DDoS attacks) leaked some stolen data to others in the data-trafficking community, Bleeping Computer posited that said threat actors breached the "well-known and extremely popular" Internet Archive not to extort money but to "gain cyber street cred", thus "increasing their reputation".<ref name="bc-abrams"/>
On October 21, Internet Archive went back online in a read-only manner.<ref>{{cite web |title=Internet Archive Services Update: 2024-10-21 |url=https://blog.archive.org/2024/10/21/internet-archive-services-update-2024-10-21/ |last=Freeland |first=Chris |date=2024-10-21 |access-date=2024-10-21 |website=blog.archive.org}}</ref> On October 22, all Internet Archive services temporarily went offline again.<ref>{{cite web |last=Townsend |first=Chance |date=2024-10-22 |title=((Internet Archive and Wayback Machine are down again)) |url=https://mashable.com/article/internet-archive-down-again?test_uuid=01iI2GpryXngy77uIpA3Y4B&test_variant=a |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=Mashable |archive-date=October 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241028133506/https://mashable.com/article/internet-archive-down-again?test_uuid=01iI2GpryXngy77uIpA3Y4B&test_variant=a |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hall |first=Matt L. |date=2024-10-22 |title=((Hackers Disable Internet Archive's Wayback Machine Once Again)) |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/hackers-again-cause-wayback-machine-outage/ |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=MUO |archive-date=November 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241104090306/https://www.makeuseof.com/hackers-again-cause-wayback-machine-outage/ |url-status=live }}</ref> By October 25, service was fully restored.<ref>{{cite web |first=Niamh |last=Ancell |title=Internet Archive is back online, but for how long? |website=cybernews |date=25 October 2024 |url=https://cybernews.com/news/internet-archive-back-online/}}</ref>
== Operations == [[Image:Internet Archive - Bibliotheca Alexandrina.jpg|thumb|Mirror of the Internet Archive in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina|alt=]] The Archive is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating in the United States. In 2019, it had an annual budget of $37 million, derived from revenue from its Web crawling services, various partnerships, grants, donations, and the Kahle-Austin Foundation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Roberts |first1=Andrea |last2=Suozzo |first2=Ken |last3=Schwencke |first3= Mike |last4=Tigas |first4=Sisi |last5=Wei |first5=Alec |last6=Glassford |first6=Brandon |date=2013-05-09 |title=Internet Archive – Form Form 990 for period ending Dec 2019 – Nonprofit Explorer |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/943242767/04_2021_prefixes_94-95/943242767_201912_990_2021040217865349 |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=ProPublica |archive-date=March 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325133357/https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/943242767/04_2021_prefixes_94-95%2F943242767_201912_990_2021040217865349 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Internet Archive also manages periodic funding campaigns. For instance, a December 2019 campaign had a goal of reaching $6 million in donations.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jessen |first=Jenica |date=2019-12-19 |title=I'm Done Selling Sweaters. Instead I'm Selling a Vision I Believe In. |url=http://blog.archive.org/2019/12/19/im-done-selling-sweaters-instead-im-selling-a-vision-i-believe-in/ |access-date=2022-08-16 |website=Internet Archive Blogs}}</ref> It uses Ubuntu as its choice of operating system for the website servers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thank you Ubuntu and Linux Communities - Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2021/02/04/thank-you-ubuntu-and-linux-communities/ |last=Kahle |first=Brewster |date=2021-02-04 |access-date=2024-10-31 |website=Internet Archive Blog}}</ref>
[[File:Internet-archive-brewster-kahle-2013-0329.webm|thumb|thumbtime=20|Brewster Kahle of the Internet Archive talks about archiving operations.]] The Archive is headquartered in San Francisco, California. From 1996 to 2009, its headquarters were in the Presidio of San Francisco, a former U.S. military base. Since 2009, its headquarters have been at 300 Funston Avenue in San Francisco, a former Christian Science Church. At one time, most of its staff worked in its book-scanning centers; as of 2019, scanning is performed by 100 paid operators worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|access-date=November 5, 2019|title=The Internet Archive Fights Wiki Citation Wars With Books|url=https://gizmodo.com/the-internet-archive-fights-wiki-citation-wars-with-boo-1839609540|website=Gizmodo|author=Whitney Kimball|date=November 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105075950/https://gizmodo.com/the-internet-archive-fights-wiki-citation-wars-with-boo-1839609540|archive-date=November 5, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The Archive also has data centers in three Californian cities: San Francisco, Redwood City, and Richmond. To reduce the risk of data loss, the Archive creates copies of parts of its collection at more distant locations, including the Bibliotheca Alexandrina<ref>{{cite web |date=April 20, 2002 |title=Donation to the new Library of Alexandria in Egypt |url=https://archive.org/about/bibalex.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140125175155/https://archive.org/about/bibalex.php |archive-date=January 25, 2014 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bibliotheca Alexandrina |url=https://archive.org/about/bibalex_p_r.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140902052347/https://archive.org/about/bibalex_p_r.php |archive-date=September 2, 2014 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref> in Egypt and a facility in Amsterdam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://longnow.org/seminars/02011/nov/30/universal-access-all-knowledge/|title=Brewster Kahle: Universal Access to All Knowledge |website=longnow.org – The Long Now|at=45'47"|access-date=October 18, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020231907/http://longnow.org/seminars/02011/nov/30/universal-access-all-knowledge/|archive-date=October 20, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
As of 2025, it is reported that Internet Archive operates six data centers,<ref name="Vault Support-2025" /> mainly in California, with smaller ones in other U.S. states, Canada and Europe. They have controlled access and fire protection systems, and are monitored for security. All Internet Archive data centers adhere to ISO/IEC 27001 standard, and some of them meet additional certifications.<ref>{{cite web |date=2025-05-28 |title=Vault Data & Data Center Security & Procedures |url=https://vault-webservices.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/21020250928276-Vault-Data-Data-Center-Security-Procedures |access-date=2025-06-30 |website=Vault Support |archive-date=August 8, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250808083808/https://vault-webservices.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/21020250928276-Vault-Data-Data-Center-Security-Procedures |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Also in 2025, it was reported that copies of the archive are kept in locations around the world, as a protection against possible disasters.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gold |first=Hadas |date=2025-11-16 |title=Inside the old church where one trillion webpages are stored |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/16/tech/internet-archive-wayback-machine |access-date=2025-11-23 |website=CNN }}</ref> Back in 2016, all redundancy was provided by RAID-like paired storage, with the 2 copies usually stored at different data centers, while backups were not a regular practice at the time.<ref>{{cite web |date=2016-10-25 |title=20,000 Hard Drives on a Mission |website=Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2016/10/25/20000-hard-drives-on-a-mission/ |access-date=2025-11-23}}</ref>
Since 2016, Internet Archive started to work to create a decentralized prototype of the digital library. From 2020, content from Internet Archive started to be stored in Filecoin.<ref>{{cite web |date=2021-04-01 |title=Filecoin Foundation Grants 50,000 FIL to the Internet Archive {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2021/04/01/filecoin-foundation-grants-50000-fil-to-the-internet-archive/ |access-date=2025-01-14}}</ref> By October 2023, one petabyte of data had been uploaded to the Filecoin network.<ref>{{cite web |last=Joyce |first=Jamie |date=2023-10-20 |title=Celebrating 1 Petabyte on the Filecoin Network! {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2023/10/20/celebrating-1-petabyte-on-the-filecoin-network/ |access-date=2025-01-14}}</ref> The Archive is a member of the International Internet Preservation Consortium<ref>{{cite web|url=http://netpreserve.org/about/memberList.php |title=Members |access-date=April 24, 2011 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613021711/http://netpreserve.org/about/memberList.php |archive-date=June 13, 2010 }} International Internet Preservation Consortium. Netpreserve.org</ref> and was officially designated as a library by the state of California in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=Internet Archive officially a library |url=https://archive.org/iathreads/post-view.php?id=121377 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204103557/http://www.archive.org/iathreads/post-view.php?id=121377 |archive-date=February 4, 2010 |access-date=May 2, 2007 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=McCoy|first=Adrian|date=June 24, 2007|title=The Internet gives birth to an 'official' online library|url=https://old.post-gazette.com/pg/07175/796164-96.stm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210127142633/https://old.post-gazette.com/pg/07175/796164-96.stm|archive-date=January 27, 2021|access-date=2021-01-05|website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette}}</ref>
== Web archiving == {{further|Web archiving}}
=== Wayback Machine === {{main|Wayback Machine}}
right|thumb|alt=Wayback Machine logo with text: "INTERNET ARCHIVE WayBackMachine"|Wayback Machine logo, used since 2001The Wayback Machine is a service that allows archives of the World Wide Web to be searched and accessed.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2002/tc20020228_1080.htm| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20020601134105/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2002/tc20020228_1080.htm| archive-date = June 1, 2002| title = A Library as Big as the World| last = Green | first = Heather | date = February 28, 2002| publisher = Business Week Online}}</ref> It can be used to see what previous versions of web sites used to look like or to visit web sites that no longer even exist. The Wayback Machine was created as a joint effort between Alexa Internet (owned by Amazon.com) and the Internet Archive.<ref>{{cite web |title=Internet Archive Frequently Asked Questions |url=https://archive.org/about/faqs.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021003552/https://archive.org/about/faqs.php |archive-date=October 21, 2009 |access-date=April 13, 2013 |publisher=Internet Archive}}</ref> Hundreds of billions of web sites and their associated data (images, source code, documents, etc.) are saved in a database. {{As of|2024|9|5|df=US}}, the Internet Archive held over 866 billion web pages, more than 42.5 million print materials, 13 million videos, 3 million TV news reports, 1.2 million software programs, 14 million audio files, 5 million images, and 272,660 concerts in its Wayback Machine.<ref name="Archive2024" /> In October 2025, the Internet Archive announced that the Wayback Machine had archived one trillion webpages, equivalent to more than 100,000 terabytes of data.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Wayne |date=14 October 2025 |title=30 years on, Internet Archive hits 1-trillion preserved pages |url=https://www.techradar.com/pro/internet-archive-reaches-new-1-trillion-page-landmark-almost-30-years-after-it-started-backing-up-the-www-and-more-than-100-000tb-of-files-have-been-safeguarded-since |website=TechRadar |access-date=17 October 2025}}</ref>[[File:Internet Archive servers 5034 - Jason Scott.jpg|thumb|Servers at the Internet Archive headquarters in San Francisco]] [[File:Incoming additional storage at Internet Archive.jpg|thumb|right|A purchase of additional storage at the Internet Archive]]
===Archive-It{{anchor|Archive-It}}=== Created in late 2005, Archive-It<ref>{{cite web |title=Archive-It |url=http://www.archive-it.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051124234136/http://archive-it.org/ |archive-date=November 24, 2005 |access-date=November 24, 2005 |publisher=Archive-It}}</ref> is a web archiving subscription service that allows individuals and institutions to build and preserve collections of digital content and create digital archives.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Lepore |first=Jill |date=2015-01-19 |title=Can the Internet Be Archived? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/01/26/cobweb |access-date=2026-04-02 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X |archive-date=January 25, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150125141230/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/01/26/cobweb |url-status=live }}</ref> Archive-It allows the user to customize their capture or exclusion of web content they want to preserve for cultural heritage reasons. Through a web application, Archive-It partners can harvest, catalog, manage, browse, search, and view their archived collections.<ref>{{cite book |last=Truman |first=Gail |url=http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:25658314 |title=Web Archiving Environmental Scan |date=January 2016 |series=Harvard Library Report |access-date=March 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317232127/http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:25658314 |archive-date=March 17, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In terms of accessibility, the archived websites are full text searchable within seven days of capture.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bragg |first=Molly |date=July 28, 2014 |title=((What is the Difference between the General Archive (sometimes called the Wayback Machine) and Archive-It?)) |url=https://webarchive.jira.com/wiki/display/ARIH/Archive-It+How-to+FAQ#Archive-ItHow-toFAQ-differencebetween |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161004224713/https://webarchive.jira.com/wiki/display/ARIH/Archive-It+How-to+FAQ#Archive-ItHow-toFAQ-differencebetween |archive-date=October 4, 2016 |publisher=Archive-It |via=Jira.com}}</ref> Content collected through Archive-It is captured and stored as a WARC file. A primary and back-up copy is stored at the Internet Archive data centers. A copy of the WARC file can be given to subscribing partner institutions for geo-redundant preservation and storage purposes to their best practice standards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archive-it.org/learn-more |title=About Archive-It |publisher=Archive-It. |access-date=March 3, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221160344/https://archive-it.org/learn-more |archive-date=February 21, 2014 }}</ref> Periodically, the data captured through Archive-It is indexed into the Internet Archive's general archive.
In 2018, the Freedom of the Press Foundation said it would back up Gawker's archives using Archive-it one page at a time.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Matsakis |first=Louise |date=January 31, 2018 |title=The Gawker Archives Aren't Going Anywhere |url=https://www.wired.com/story/gawker-archives-freedom-of-press-foundation-toast-la-weekly/ |access-date=2026-04-27 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=October 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011053616/https://www.wired.com/story/gawker-archives-freedom-of-press-foundation-toast-la-weekly/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2021, Archive-it was partnering with more than 800 institutions, such as universities, archives, libraries and museums.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Beis |first1=Christina |last2=Harris |first2=Kayla |last3=Shreffler |first3=Stephanie |date=2021-08-13 |title=The Internet Archive has been fighting for 25 years to keep what's on the web from disappearing – and you can help |url=https://theconversation.com/the-internet-archive-has-been-fighting-for-25-years-to-keep-whats-on-the-web-from-disappearing-and-you-can-help-163867 |access-date=2026-04-02 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2022, it was used to back up Ukrainian websites.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Perry |first=Tekla S. |date=April 6, 2022 |title=((How the Wayback Machine Is Saving Digital Ukraine)) |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/internet-archive-ukraine |access-date=2026-04-27 |website=spectrum.ieee.org |language=en}}</ref> It also had been used to archive some Twitter streams<ref>{{Cite web |last=Milligan |first=Ian |date=2022-11-22 |title=Elon Musk's buyout of Twitter has placed its user-generated archives in danger |url=https://theconversation.com/elon-musks-buyout-of-twitter-has-placed-its-user-generated-archives-in-danger-194596 |access-date=2026-04-27 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref> but had difficulty archiving Facebook.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berlinski |first=Elise |date=2023-03-01 |title=Debate: The multiple paradoxes of Meta and Mark Zuckerberg |url=https://theconversation.com/debate-the-multiple-paradoxes-of-meta-and-mark-zuckerberg-199263 |access-date=2026-04-27 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref> The Archive claimed more than 1200 partners in 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Venugopal |first=Sahana |date=2024-07-06 |title=What is the Internet Archive and why is it facing a backlash from book publishers? {{!}} Explained |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/what-is-internet-archive-and-why-is-it-facing-backlash-from-publishers-explained/article68374235.ece |access-date=2026-04-02 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>
=== Internet Archive Scholar === {{main|Internet Archive Scholar}}
In September 2020, Internet Archive announced a new initiative to archive and preserve open access academic journals, called Internet Archive Scholar.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Internet Archive Will Digitize & Preserve Millions of Academic Articles with Its New Database, 'Internet Archive Scholar'|url=http://www.openculture.com/2020/09/internet-archive-scholar.html |date=September 22, 2020 |access-date=2020-09-23 |website=Open Culture|archive-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922161701/http://www.openculture.com/2020/09/internet-archive-scholar.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Bryan|first=Newbold|date=2021-03-09|title=Search Scholarly Materials Preserved in the Internet Archive|url=https://blog.archive.org/2021/03/09/search-scholarly-materials-preserved-in-the-internet-archive/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Internet Archive Scholar [homepage] |url=https://scholar.archive.org/ |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=24 March 2022}}</ref> {{As of|February 2024}}, it contained over 35 million research articles with full text access. The materials available come from three different forms: content identified by the Wayback Machine, by digitized print material and sources such as uploads from users and collections from partnerships.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.openculture.com/2020/09/internet-archive-scholar.html|title=The Internet Archive Will Digitize & Preserve Millions of Academic Articles with Its New Database, "Internet Archive Scholar"|last=|first=|date=September 22, 2020|website=Open Culture|publisher=|access-date=January 2, 2023|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2021/05/search-scholarly-works-preserved-by-the-internet-archive/|title=Search scholarly works preserved by the Internet Archive|last=|first=|date=May 10, 2021|website=Illinois State University|publisher=|access-date=January 2, 2023|quote=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://wisblawg.law.wisc.edu/2021/03/10/internet-archive-scholar-a-new-search-index-for-scholarly-works-research-white-papers-conference-proceedings-pre-prints-reports-etc/|title=Internet Archive Scholar, a New Search Index for Scholarly Works (Research & White Papers, Conference Proceedings, Pre-prints, Reports, etc.)|last=|first=|date=March 10, 2021|website=University of Wisconsin-Madison|publisher=|access-date=January 2, 2023|quote=}}</ref> As of 2024, Katina Magazine found the tool to be slower, slightly less recent and less comprehensive than Google Scholar but provided more context per result (making it easier to read for the reviewer), provided filters for datasets and makes its bibliographic database public. Also, due to its nonprofit mission, the archive should remain free, open and transparent into the future helping to preserve materials that sometimes get lost over time. The review described IA Scholar as user-friendly though users may need to re-learn how to perform some search techniques that work differently on Elasticsearch.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Owens|first=Erin|date=2025-01-20|title=Archiving the Scholarly Internet|url=https://katinamagazine.org/content/article/resource-reviews/2024/archiving-the-scholarly-internet|journal=Katina Magazine|language=en|doi=10.1146/katina-012025-1|doi-access=free}}</ref>
=== General Index === In 2021, the Internet Archive announced the initial version of the General Index, a publicly available index to a collection of 107 million academic journal articles.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Else|first=Holly|date=2021-10-26|title=Giant, free index to world's research papers released online|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02895-8|journal=Nature|doi=10.1038/d41586-021-02895-8|pmid=34703019|s2cid=240000069|access-date=November 12, 2021|archive-date=November 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113162341/https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02895-8|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title="The General Index": New tool allows you to search 107 million research papers for free|url=https://bigthink.com/the-present/general-index-open-access/|access-date=2021-11-12|website=Big Think|date=November 5, 2021 |archive-date=November 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211112214225/https://bigthink.com/the-present/general-index-open-access/|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Items and collections == The Archive stores files inside so-called items, which are similar to directories in that they can contain multiple files, but can have additional metadata such as a description and tags which make them more searchable.
Some file types can be previewed directly on the site, where as others have to be downloaded in order to be opened. If multiple multimedia files exist in an item, the website generates a playlist for video or audio files, or a slide show for pictures. If an item contains at least one video or picture, the Archive generates a preview thumbnail that can be seen on collection pages and in searches. Items can contain mixed data such as music files with an album cover picture, in which case the picture is used as thumbnail.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://help.archive.org/help/how-to-upload-files-to-create-a-new-item-page/ |access-date=2024-10-22 |title=How to upload files to create a new item page – Internet Archive Help Center }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://help.archive.org/help/movies-and-videos-tips-troubleshooting/ |access-date=2024-10-22 |title=Movies and Videos – Tips & Troubleshooting – Internet Archive Help Center }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://help.archive.org/help/media-players-a-basic-guide/ |title=Media Players – A Basic Guide – Internet Archive Help Center |access-date=2024-10-22 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://help.archive.org/help/archive-org-page-overview/ |title=Archive.org page overview – Internet Archive Help Center |access-date=2024-10-22 }}</ref> Staff members of the Internet Archive organize items by placing them into so-called collections, which are pages listing multiple items.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://help.archive.org/help/collections-a-basic-guide/ |title=Collections – A Basic Guide – Internet Archive Help Center |access-date=2024-10-22 }}</ref>
==Book collections== ===Text collection=== [[File:Scribe Machine Acquisition 3.jpg|thumb|right|Internet Archive "Scribe" book scanning workstation]] thumb|An Internet Archive in-house scan ongoing
The scanning performed by the Internet Archive is financially supported by libraries and foundations.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kahle |first=Brewster |date=May 23, 2008 |title=Books Scanning to be Publicly Funded |url=https://archive.org/iathreads/post-view.php?id=194217 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090924105740/http://www.archive.org/iathreads/post-view.php?id=194217 |archive-date=September 24, 2009 |website=Internet Archive Forums}}</ref> {{As of|2008|11}}, when there were approximately 1 million texts, the entire collection was greater than 500 terabytes, which included raw camera images, cropped and skewed images, PDFs, and raw OCR data.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 24, 2008 |title=Bulk Access to OCR for 1 Million Books |url=https://blog.openlibrary.org/2008/11/24/bulk-access-to-ocr-for-1-million-books/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206124013/http://blog.openlibrary.org/2008/11/24/bulk-access-to-ocr-for-1-million-books/ |archive-date=December 6, 2008 |website=Open Library Blog}}</ref>
{{As of|2013|July}}, the Internet Archive was operating 33 scanning centers in five countries, digitizing about 1,000 books a day for a total of more than 2 million books, in a total collection of 4.4 million books{{snd}}including material digitized by others and fed into the Internet Archive; at that time, users were performing more than 15 million downloads per month.<ref name=Hoffelder2013/>
The material digitized by others includes more than 300,000 books that were contributed to the collection, between about 2006 and 2008, by Microsoft through its Live Search Books project, which also included financial support and scanning equipment directly donated to the Internet Archive.<ref name=msdown>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.msdn.com/livesearch/archive/2008/05/23/book-search-winding-down.aspx |title=Book search winding down |date=May 23, 2008 |work= MSDN Live Search Blog<!-- Official announcement from Microsoft-->|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820220749/http://blogs.msdn.com/livesearch/archive/2008/05/23/book-search-winding-down.aspx |archive-date=August 20, 2008}}</ref> On May 23, 2008, Microsoft announced it would be ending its Live Book Search project and would no longer be scanning books, donating its remaining scanning equipment to its former partners.<ref name=msdown/>
Around October 2007, Archive users began uploading public domain books from Google Book Search.<ref>{{cite web |title=Google Books at Internet Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/googlebooks |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206201549/https://archive.org/details/googlebooks |archive-date=December 6, 2008 |access-date=November 9, 2008 |publisher=Internet Archive}}</ref> {{As of|2013|November}}, there were more than 900,000 Google-digitized books in the Archive's collection;<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/search.php?query=sponsor%3A%28Google%29 |title=List of Google scans |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140126055407/https://archive.org/search.php?query=sponsor%3A%28Google%29 |archive-date=January 26, 2014 |publisher=Internet Archive}}</ref> the books are identical to the copies found on Google, except without the Google watermarks, and are available for unrestricted use and download.{{efn|Books imported from Google have a metadata tag of scanner:google for searching purposes. The archive provides a link to Google for PDF copies, but also maintains a local PDF copy, which is viewable under the "All Files: HTTPS" link. As all the other books in the collection, they also provide OCR text and images in open formats, particularly DjVu, which Google Books does not offer.}} Brewster Kahle revealed in 2013 that this archival effort was coordinated by Aaron Swartz, who, with a "bunch of friends", downloaded the public domain books from Google slowly enough and from enough computers to stay within Google's restrictions. They did this to ensure public access to the public domain. The Archive ensured the items were attributed and linked back to Google, which never complained, while libraries "grumbled". According to Kahle, this is an example of Swartz's "genius" to work on what could give the most to the public good for millions of people.<ref name=kahle-aswmem>Brewster Kahle, "[https://archive.org/details/AaronSwartzMemorialAtTheInternetArchive?start=4680 Aaron Swartz memorial at the Internet Archive] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629062022/https://archive.org/details/AaronSwartzMemorialAtTheInternetArchive?start=4680 |date=June 29, 2015 }}", 2013-01-24, via [https://wellpreparedmind.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/aaron-swartz-freed-over-900000-public-domain-books-from-googles-restrictions/ The well-prepared mind] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140814162152/http://wellpreparedmind.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/aaron-swartz-freed-over-900000-public-domain-books-from-googles-restrictions/ |date=August 14, 2014 }}, via [http://scinfolex.com/2013/02/06/cest-aaron-swartz-qui-liberait-les-livres-de-google-books-sur-internet-archive/ S.I.Lex] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808094118/http://scinfolex.com/2013/02/06/cest-aaron-swartz-qui-liberait-les-livres-de-google-books-sur-internet-archive/ |date=August 8, 2014 }}.</ref>
As of 2009, the Text Collection contained more than 1,700,000 items. The largest grouping was the American libraries collection, which included more than 1,100,000 texts, with the next largest, the Canadian libraries collection, having roughly 200,000.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Polanka |editor1-first=Sue |title=No Shelf Required. E-Books in Libraries |date=2011 |publisher=American Library Association |isbn=9780838910542 |page=8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FZ8QJwD1Nm8C&dq=%22american+libraries%22+%22canadian+libraries%22+%22internet+archive%22&pg=PA8}}</ref> By 2025, the American collection had grown to 3,900,000 items,<ref>{{cite web |title=American Libraries |url=https://archive.org/details/americana |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=27 October 2025}}</ref> and the Canadian libraries collection to 900,000.<ref>{{cite web |title=Canadian Libraries |url=https://archive.org/details/toronto?get=params |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=27 October 2025}}</ref> At that time, the total content exceeded 47,000,000 texts.<ref>{{cite web |title=eBooks and Texts |url=https://archive.org/details/texts |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=27 October 2025}}</ref>
{{anchor|RECAP US Federal Court Documents}}In addition to books, the Archive offers free and anonymous public access to more than four million court opinions, legal briefs, or exhibits uploaded from the United States Federal Courts' PACER electronic document system via the RECAP web browser plugin. These documents had been kept behind a federal court paywall. On the Archive, they had been accessed by more than six million people by 2013.<ref name=kahle-aswmem/>
The Archive's BookReader web app,<ref name="BookReader">{{cite web |title=Internet Archive BookReader |url=https://archive.org/details/BookReader |website=archive.org |access-date=June 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621131721/https://archive.org/details/BookReader |archive-date=June 21, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> built into its website, has features such as single-page, two-page, and thumbnail modes; fullscreen mode; page zooming of high-resolution images; and flip page animation.<ref name="BookReader"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Kaplan |first=Jeff |date=December 10, 2010 |title=New BookReader! |url=https://blog.archive.org/2010/12/10/2685/ |website=blog.archive.org |access-date=June 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190621200255/https://blog.archive.org/2010/12/10/2685/ |archive-date=June 21, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>
In October 2024, the Internet Archive agreed to accept the paper copies of 400,000 uncatalogued dissertations from the Leiden University Library, from the period 1851–2004, that the library wanted to dispose of. The university had received them from foreign universities as part of a dissertation exchange program that had begun with its foundation in 1575, continuing for nearly 430 years. The Archive plans to digitise them and make them accessible online. The original full collection included theses by Niels Bohr, Marie Curie, Émile Durkheim, Albert Einstein, Otto Hahn, Carl Jung, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Max Planck, Luigi Pirandello, Gustav Stresemann and Max Weber.<ref>{{citation |last=Funnekotter |first=Bart |title=Leidse proefschriften worden tóch niet vernietigd, 400.000 dissertaties gaan naar de VS |trans-title=Leiden dissertations not destroyed after all, 400,000 dissertations go to the US |newspaper=NRC |date=October 9, 2024 |url=https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2024/10/09/leidse-proefschriften-worden-toch-niet-vernietigd-400000-dissertaties-gaan-naar-de-vs-a4868698 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111135442/https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2024/10/09/leidse-proefschriften-worden-toch-niet-vernietigd-400000-dissertaties-gaan-naar-de-vs-a4868698|archive-date=November 11, 2024}}</ref>
===Open Library=== {{main|Open Library}}
The Open Library is another project of the Internet Archive. The project seeks to include a web page for every book ever published: it holds 25 million catalog records of editions. It also seeks to be a web-accessible public library: it contains the full texts of approximately 1,600,000 public domain books (out of the more than five million from the main texts collection), as well as in-print and in-copyright books,<ref>{{cite web |title=FAQ on Controlled Digital Lending (CDL) |date=February 13, 2019 |url=https://nwu.org/book-division/cdl/faq/ |publisher=National Writers Union |access-date=February 15, 2019 |archive-date=March 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20200330193826/https://nwu.org/book%2Ddivision/cdl/faq/ |url-status=live }}</ref> many of which are fully readable, downloadable<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Antone |last=Gonsalves |title=Internet Archive Claims Progress Against Google Library Initiative |url=http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196701339 |magazine=InformationWeek |date=December 20, 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014174528/http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196701339 |archive-date=October 14, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=The Open Library Makes Its Online Debut |url=http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=2235?=atwc |publisher=Chronicle of Higher Education |work=The Wired Campus |date=July 19, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930184259/http://chronicle.com/wiredcampus/index.php?id=2235%3F%3Datwc |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and full-text searchable;<ref>{{cite web |title=Search Inside |url=https://openlibrary.org/search/inside |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020130821/http://openlibrary.org/search/inside |archive-date=October 20, 2013 |website=OpenLibrary.org}}</ref> it offers a two-week loan of e-books in its controlled digital lending program for over 647,784 books not in the public domain, in partnership with over 1,000 library partners from six countries<ref name="Hoffelder2013">{{cite web |last=Hoffelder |first=Nate |date=July 9, 2013 |title=Internet Archive Now Hosts 4.4 Million eBooks, Sees 15 Million eBooks Downloaded Each Month |url=https://www.the-digital-reader.com/2013/07/09/internet-archive-now-hosts-4-4-million-ebooks-sees-15-million-ebooks-downloaded-each-month/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230527192428/https://the-digital-reader.com/internet-archive-now-hosts-4-4-million-ebooks-sees-15-million-ebooks-downloaded-each-month/ |archive-date=2023-05-27 |publisher=The Digital Reader}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=June 25, 2011 |title=In-Library eBook Lending Program Expands to 1,000 Libraries |url=https://blog.archive.org/2011/06/25/in-library-ebook-lending-program-expands-to-1000-libraries/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813035522/https://blog.archive.org/2011/06/25/in-library-ebook-lending-program-expands-to-1000-libraries/ |archive-date=August 13, 2014 |website=Internet Archive Blogs |publisher=Internet Archive}}</ref> after a free registration on the web site. Open Library is a free and open-source software project, with its source code freely available on GitHub.
The Open Library faces objections from some authors and the Society of Authors, who hold that the project is distributing books without authorization and is thus in violation of copyright laws,<ref>{{cite news|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jan/22/internet-archives-ebook-loans-face-uk-copyright-challenge|title=Internet Archive's ebook loans face UK copyright challenge|first=Alison|last=Flood|date=22 Jan 2019|access-date=March 28, 2020|archive-date=February 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212070623/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/jan/22/internet-archives-ebook-loans-face-uk-copyright-challenge|url-status=live}}</ref> and four major publishers initiated a copyright infringement lawsuit against the Internet Archive in June 2020 to stop the Open Library project.<ref name="open library lawsuit">{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/1/21277036/internet-archive-publishers-lawsuit-open-library-ebook-lending | title = Publishers sue Internet Archive over Open Library ebook lending | first = Russell | last = Brandom | date = June 1, 2020 | access-date = June 1, 2020 | work = The Verge | archive-date = June 1, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200601185706/https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/1/21277036/internet-archive-publishers-lawsuit-open-library-ebook-lending | url-status = live }}</ref>
===Digitizing sponsors for books=== Many large institutional sponsors have helped the Internet Archive provide millions of scanned publications (text items).<ref>For example, the Princeton Theological Seminary Library has described how it and other academic libraries are digitization partners with the Internet Archive: {{cite web |url=https://library.ptsem.edu/partnering-with-the-internet-archive |title=Partnering with the Internet Archive |website=Princeton Theological Seminary Library |access-date=December 4, 2020 |archive-date=November 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130110259/https://library.ptsem.edu/partnering-with-the-internet-archive |url-status=live }}</ref> Some sponsors that have digitized large quantities of texts include the University of Toronto's Robarts Library, University of Alberta Libraries, University of Ottawa, Library of Congress, Boston Library Consortium member libraries, Boston Public Library, Princeton Theological Seminary Library, and many others.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3A%28texts%29+AND+mediatype%3A%28collection%29&sort=-downloads |title=Internet Archive Search: collection:(texts) |website=archive.org |access-date=December 4, 2020}}</ref>
In 2017, the MIT Press authorized the Internet Archive to digitize and lend books from the press's backlist,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/mitpress |title=The MIT Press |website=archive.org |access-date=2020-06-27}}</ref> with financial support from the Arcadia Fund.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hanamura |first=Wendy |date=May 30, 2017 |title=MIT Press Classics Available Soon at Archive.org |url=https://blog.archive.org/2017/05/30/mit-press-classics-available-soon-at-archive-org/ |website=blog.archive.org |access-date=2020-06-27 |quote=For more than eighty years, MIT Press has been publishing acclaimed titles in science, technology, art and architecture. Now, thanks to a new partnership between the Internet Archive and MIT Press, readers will be able to borrow these classics online for the first time.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Green |first=Alex |date=December 1, 2019 |title=New Takes on Academic Publishing: Three university presses find new ways to keep up with a changing market |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/81872-new-takes-on-academic-publishing.html |website=Publishers Weekly |access-date=2020-06-27 |quote=Since she became director [of the MIT Press] in 2015, there's little that Brand hasn't reenvisioned at the press. In 2017, the press partnered with the Internet Archive to make its deep backlist available free at libraries, resurrecting books that had not seen the light of day in generations. |archive-date=June 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627161843/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/81872-new-takes-on-academic-publishing.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A year later, the Internet Archive received further funding from the Arcadia Fund to invite some other university presses to partner with the Internet Archive to digitize books, a project called "Unlocking University Press Books".<ref>{{cite web |last=Freeland |first=Chris |date=May 21, 2018 |title=Internet Archive awarded grant from Arcadia Fund to digitize university press collections |url=https://blog.archive.org/2018/05/21/internet-archive-awarded-grant-from-arcadia-fund-to-digitize-university-press-collections/ |website=blog.archive.org |access-date=2020-06-27 |quote=Internet Archive has received a $1 million dollar grant from Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin – to digitize titles from university press collections to make them available via controlled digital lending.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Albanese |first=Andrew |date=May 25, 2018 |title=Internet Archive Lands Grant to Digitize and Lend University Press Collections |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/76974-is-it-time-to-rethink-how-we-do-library-advocacy.html |website=Publishers Weekly |access-date=2020-06-27 |archive-date=June 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627172007/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/76974-is-it-time-to-rethink-how-we-do-library-advocacy.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The Library of Congress created numerous Handle System identifiers that pointed to free digitized books in the Internet Archive.<ref>For example: {{cite web |title=hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00198115083 |url=https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00198115083 |access-date=November 25, 2020 |mode=cs2 |archive-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704233132/https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00198115083 |url-status=dead }}; {{cite web |title=hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00060921933 |url=https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00060921933 |access-date=November 25, 2020 |mode=cs2 |archive-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704233036/https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00060921933 |url-status=dead }}; {{cite web |title=hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00060927248 |url=https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00060927248 |access-date=November 25, 2020 |mode=cs2 |archive-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704233041/https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00060927248 |url-status=dead }}; {{cite web |title=hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00001740908 |url=https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00001740908 |access-date=November 25, 2020 |mode=cs2 |archive-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704233037/https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00001740908 |url-status=dead }}; {{cite web |title=hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00027740005 |url=https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00027740005 |access-date=November 25, 2020 |mode=cs2 |archive-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704233038/https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gdc/scd0001.00027740005 |url-status=dead }}.</ref> The Internet Archive and Open Library are listed on the Library of Congress website as a source of e-books.<ref> * {{cite web |title=External Web Sites – Finding E-books: A Guide – Library of Congress Bibliographies, Research Guides, and Finding Aids (Virtual Programs & Services) |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ebooks/external.html |website=Library of Congress |access-date=November 25, 2020 |date=2017 |orig-date=April 2011 |first1=J. Cheyenne |last1=Hohman |first2=Yasmeen |last2=Mughal |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125170006/https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ebooks/external.html |url-status=deviated |quote=The Internet Archive includes the full text of more than 2.5 million e-books, including e-books supplied by the Library of Congress. Books can be read online or downloaded and read in a variety of formats. E-books from the Internet Archive can also be found through Open Library, an Internet Archive initiative devoted to texts.}} * {{cite web |title=Devices and Formats – Finding E-books: A Guide – Library of Congress Bibliographies, Research Guides, and Finding Aids (Virtual Programs & Services) |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ebooks/devicesformats.html |website=Library of Congress |access-date=November 25, 2020 |date=2017 |orig-date=April 2011 |first1=J. Cheyenne |last1=Hohman |first2=Yasmeen |last2=Mughal |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212005106/https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ebooks/devicesformats.html |url-status=deviated |quote=Library of Congress publications are available for free download to the Kindle from the Internet Archive. ... The iPad can be used as an e-reader via apps such as iBooks, which support both ePub (.epub) and PDF (.pdf) formats. Both formats are available from the Internet Archive.}}</ref>
=== Other text collections === ==== Children's Library <span class="anchor" id="childrens-library"></span> ====
Children's Library is a collection of digitized books from the University of California Libraries, the University of Florida's "Literature for Children" Collection, National Yiddish Book Center, New York Public Library, International Children's Digital Library and some other libraries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/iacl|title=Children's Library: Free Texts : Download & Streaming |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=March 15, 2014}}</ref> This collection contains many free historical ebooks for children.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://libguides.butler.edu/content.php?pid=1689&sid=8048|title=Children's/YA Literature - Education Resource Guide - LibGuides at Butler University|publisher=Butler University Libraries|access-date=March 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315201143/http://libguides.butler.edu/content.php?pid=1689&sid=8048|archive-date=March 15, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== Media collections == thumb|Media reader thumb|Microfilms at the Internet Archive [[File:Videocassettes and VCRs at Internet Archive.jpg|thumb|Videocassettes at the Internet Archive]]
In addition to web archives, the Internet Archive maintains extensive collections of digital media that are attested by the uploader to be in the public domain in the United States or licensed under a license that allows redistribution, such as Creative Commons licenses.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} Media are organized into collections by media type (moving images, audio, text, etc.), and into sub-collections by various criteria.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 10, 2023 |title=6 Great Internet Archive Collections To Enjoy As The Digital Library Fight Continues |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tech/digital-media/6-great-internet-archive-collections-to-enjoy-as-the-digital-library-fight-continues |access-date=2026-04-17 |website=Paste Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> Each of the main collections includes a "Community" sub-collection (formerly named "Open Source") where general contributions by the public are stored.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
=== Audio === ==== Audio Archive <span class="anchor" id="aa"></span> <!---redirect targets this anchor (aa).---> ==== The Audio Archive includes music, audiobooks, news broadcasts, old time radio shows, podcasts, and a wide variety of other audio files. {{As of|2023|January}}, there are more than 15,000,000 free digital recordings in the collection. The subcollections include audio books and poetry, podcasts, non-English audio, and many others.<ref>{{cite web |title=Download & Streaming : Audio Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/audio |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref> The sound collections are curated by B. George, director of the ARChive of Contemporary Music.<ref name="WP">{{cite web|last1=Pritchard|first1=Will|title=How The Great 78 Project is saving half a million songs from obscurity|url=https://thevinylfactory.com/features/great-78-project-archive-interview/|website=The Vinyl Factory|access-date=November 2, 2017|date=August 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107004227/https://thevinylfactory.com/features/great-78-project-archive-interview/|archive-date=November 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
==== Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications ==== A project to preserve recordings of amateur radio transmissions, with funding from the Amateur Radio Digital Communications foundation.<ref>{{cite web |last=Holt |first=Kris |date=2022-10-05 |title=The Internet Archive is building a library of amateur radio broadcasts |url=https://www.engadget.com/internet-archive-digital-library-of-amateur-radio-and-communications-180509856.html |access-date=2022-10-09 |website=Engadget |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009003206/https://www.engadget.com/internet-archive-digital-library-of-amateur-radio-and-communications-180509856.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2022-01-27 |title=Amateur Radio Digital Communications Grants Continue |url=http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-digital-communications-grants-continue |access-date=2022-10-09 |website=American Radio Relay League |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009003212/http://www.arrl.org/news/amateur-radio-digital-communications-grants-continue |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Live Music Archive ==== {{main|Live Music Archive}}
The Live Music Archive sub-collection includes more than 170,000 concert recordings from independent musicians, as well as more established artists and musical ensembles with permissive rules about recording their concerts, such as the Grateful Dead, and more recently, The Smashing Pumpkins. Also, Jordan Zevon has allowed the Internet Archive to host a definitive collection of his father Warren Zevon's concert recordings. The Zevon collection ranges from 1976 to 2001 and contains 126 concerts including 1,137 songs.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Tirpack |first=Alex |title=Warren Zevon live shows hit the web, possible film in the works |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/warren-zevon-live-shows-hit-the-web-possible-film-in-the-works-20090603 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=June 3, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202232253/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/warren-zevon-live-shows-hit-the-web-possible-film-in-the-works-20090603 |archive-date=February 2, 2013 }}</ref> thumb|Great 78 Project DJ booth (2019)
==== The Great 78 Project ==== {{main|The Great 78 Project}}
The Great 78 Project aims to digitize 78 rpm singles and phonograph cylinders from the period between 1880 and 1960, donated by various collectors and institutions.<ref name=":03">{{cite web|last1=Deahl|first1=Dani|title=Over 50,000 digitized pieces of vinyl can now be listened to on Internet Archive|url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/12/16126346/50000-digitized-vinyl-internet-archive-great-78-project|website=The Verge|accessdate=November 2, 2017|date=August 12, 2017|archive-date=July 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712012133/https://www.theverge.com/2017/8/12/16126346/50000-digitized-vinyl-internet-archive-great-78-project|url-status=live}}</ref> It has been developed in collaboration with the Archive of Contemporary Music and George Blood Audio, responsible for the audio digitization.<ref name="WP" /> As of 2017, it had 200,000 recordings available online.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-08-24 |title=Internet Archive Trying To Digitize Every Old 78 Record In Existence: SFist |url=https://sfist.com/2017/08/24/internet_archive_trying_to_digitize/ |access-date=2026-04-18 |website=SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260413074119/https://sfist.com/2017/08/24/internet_archive_trying_to_digitize/|archive-date=April 13, 2026}}</ref> As of September 2025, it said it had digitized 400,000 recordings.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Blistein |first=Jon |date=2025-09-15 |title=Internet Archive and Major Labels Settle $621 Million Copyright Lawsuit |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/internet-archive-labels-settle-great-78-copyright-lawsuit-1235427887/ |access-date=2026-04-17 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-date=September 16, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250916142128/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/internet-archive-labels-settle-great-78-copyright-lawsuit-1235427887/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==== Netlabels ==== <!-- Please do not rename without amending redirect at Netlabels--> {{distinguish|Netlabel}} The Archive has a collection of freely distributable music that is streamed and available for download via its ''Netlabels'' service. The music in this collection generally has Creative Commons-license catalogs of virtual record labels.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to Netlabels |url=https://archive.org/details/netlabels |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404162519/https://archive.org/details/netlabels |archive-date=April 4, 2014 |publisher=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref name="lifehacker free music">{{cite web|url=http://lifehacker.com/208221/download-free-music-at-the-internet-archive |title=Download free music at the Internet Archive |work=Lifehacker |date=October 21, 2006 |first=Wendy |last=Boswell |quote=The Internet Archive has a ginormous collection of free, downloadable music in their NetLabels category ...|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505115952/http://lifehacker.com/208221/download-free-music-at-the-internet-archive |archive-date=May 5, 2012 }}</ref>
=== Images === This collection contains more than 3.5 million items.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/image |title=Image|publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=October 12, 2020}}</ref> Cover Art Archive, Metropolitan Museum of Art – Gallery Images, NASA Images, Occupy Wall Street Flickr Archive, and USGS Maps are some sub-collections of Image collection.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}
==== Cover Art Archive ==== thumb|Logo of Cover Art Archive The Cover Art Archive is a joint project between the Internet Archive and MusicBrainz, whose goal is to make cover art images on the Internet. {{As of|2021|04|post=,}} this collection contains more than 1,400,000 items.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/coverartarchive |title=Cover Art Archive: Free Image : Download & Streaming |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=December 4, 2014 }}</ref>
==== Metropolitan Museum of Art images ==== The images of this collection are from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This collection contains more than 140,000 items.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/metropolitanmuseumofart-gallery |title=Metropolitan Museum of Art – Gallery Images: Free Image : Download & Streaming |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=December 4, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103140654/https://archive.org/details/metropolitanmuseumofart-gallery |archive-date=January 3, 2015 }}</ref>
==== NASA Images ==== The NASA Images archive was created through a Space Act Agreement between the Internet Archive and NASA to bring public access to NASA's image, video, and audio collections in a single, searchable resource. The Internet Archive NASA Images team worked closely with all of the NASA centers to keep adding to the ever-growing collection.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nasaimages.org/ |title=NASA Images |type=archive |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=April 13, 2013 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111124412/http://www.nasaimages.org/ |archive-date=November 11, 2012 }}</ref> The nasaimages.org site launched in July 2008 and had more than 100,000 items online at the end of its hosting in 2012.
==== Occupy Wall Street Flickr archive ==== This collection contains Creative Commons-licensed photographs from Flickr related to the Occupy Wall Street movement. This collection contains more than 15,000 items.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/flickr-ows |title=Occupy Wall Street Flickr Archive: Free Image : Download & Streaming |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=December 4, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103140621/https://archive.org/details/flickr-ows |archive-date=January 3, 2015 }}</ref>
==== USGS Maps ==== This collection contains more than 59,000 items from Libre Map Project.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/maps_usgs |title=USGS Maps: Free Image : Download & Streaming |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=December 4, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103140641/https://archive.org/details/maps_usgs |archive-date=January 3, 2015 }}</ref>
=== Video ===
==== Machinima Archive ==== One of the sub-collections of the Internet Archive's Video Archive is the Machinima Archive. This small section hosts many Machinima videos. Machinima is a digital artform in which computer games, game engines, or software engines are used in a sandbox-like mode to create motion pictures, recreate plays, or even publish presentations or keynotes. The archive collects a range of Machinima films from internet publishers such as Rooster Teeth and Machinima.com as well as independent producers. The sub-collection is a collaborative effort among the Internet Archive, the How They Got Game research project at Stanford University, the Academy of Machinima Arts and Sciences, and Machinima.com.<ref>{{cite web |title=Welcome to Machinima |url=https://archive.org/details/machinima |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130323173619/https://archive.org/details/machinima |archive-date=March 23, 2013 |publisher=Internet Archive}}</ref>
==== Moving image collection ==== {{see also|Special:WhatLinksHere/Template:Internet Archive film{{!}}Wikipedia list of films freely available on the Internet Archive}} The Internet Archive holds a collection of approximately 3,863 feature films.<ref>{{cite web|title=Internet Archive Search: Collection: Feature Films |url=https://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3Afeature_films&sort=-%2Fadditional%2Fitem%2Fdownloads |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=March 6, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402214317/https://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3Afeature_films&sort=-%2Fadditional%2Fitem%2Fdownloads |archive-date=April 2, 2013 }}</ref> Additionally, the Internet Archive's Moving Image collection includes: newsreels, classic cartoons, pro- and anti-war propaganda, The Video Cellar Collection, Skip Elsheimer's "A.V. Geeks" collection, early television, and ephemeral material from Prelinger Archives, such as advertising, educational, and industrial films, as well as amateur and home movie collections.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-05-03 |title='Expertise is disappearing': How Canadian film archives are fighting to save nearly forgotten culture |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-expertise-is-disappearing-how-canadian-film-archives-are-fighting-to/ |access-date=2026-04-17 |work=The Globe and Mail |language=en-CA}}</ref>
Subcategories of this collection include: * IA's ''FedFlix'' collection, Joint Venture NTIS-1832 between the National Technical Information Service and Public.Resource.Org that features "the best movies of the United States Government, from training films to history, from our national parks to the U.S. Fire Academy and the Postal Inspectors"<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Internet Archive|title=FedFlix|url=https://archive.org/details/FedFlix|access-date=November 23, 2025}}</ref> * IA's ''Independent News'' collection, which includes sub-collections such as the Internet Archive's World At War competition from 2001, in which contestants created short films demonstrating "why access to history matters".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jenemann |first=Laura |title=Research Guides: Politics and Public Affairs on Film, Television, and Radio: Additional Resources |url=https://guides.loc.gov/politics-and-public-affairs-film-tv-radio/additional-resources |access-date=2026-04-17 |website=guides.loc.gov |language=en}}</ref> Among their most-downloaded video files are eyewitness recordings of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. * IA's ''September 11 Television Archive'', which contains archival footage from the world's major television networks of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, as they unfolded on live television.<ref>{{cite web |title=September 11th Television Archive |url=https://archive.org/details/sept_11_tv_archive |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403154832/https://archive.org/details/sept_11_tv_archive |archive-date=April 3, 2014 |publisher=Internet Archive}}</ref>
=== Microfilm === This collection contains approximately 160,000 microfilmed items from a variety of libraries including the University of Chicago Libraries, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Alberta, Allen County Public Library, and National Technical Information Service.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3Amicrofilm%20AND%20collection%3Aadditional_collections |title=Internet Archive Search: collection:microfilm |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=March 20, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331224824/https://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3Amicrofilm%20AND%20collection%3Aadditional_collections |archive-date=March 31, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/microfilm |title=Microfilm |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=March 20, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320180301/https://archive.org/details/microfilm |archive-date=March 20, 2014 }}</ref>
=== TV News Search & Borrow === thumb|TV tuners at the Internet Archive In September 2012, the Internet Archive launched the TV News Search & Borrow service for searching U.S. national news programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/tv/ |title=TV NEWS : Search Captions. Borrow Broadcasts : TV Archive |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=April 13, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420214957/https://archive.org/details/tv |archive-date=April 20, 2013 }}</ref> The service is built on closed captioning transcripts and allows users to search and stream 30-second video clips. Upon launch, the service contained "350,000 news programs collected over 3 years from national U.S. networks and stations in San Francisco and Washington D.C."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390443720204578002592487339454 |title=Let's Go to the Videotape: Nonprofit Offers News Clips |last1=Fowler |first1=Geoffrey A. |last2=Hagey |first2=Keach |date=September 18, 2012 |publisher=The Wall Street Journal Online |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424135135/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443720204578002592487339454.html |archive-date=April 24, 2013 }}{{subscription required|date=November 2013}}</ref> According to Kahle, the service was inspired by the Vanderbilt Television News Archive, a similar library of televised network news programs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.archive.org/2012/09/17/launch-of-tv-news-search-borrow-with-350000-broadcasts |title=Launch of TV News Search & Borrow with 350,000 Broadcasts |first=Brewster |last=Kahle |date=September 17, 2012 |work=Internet Archive Blogs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813101356/https://blog.archive.org/2012/09/17/launch-of-tv-news-search-borrow-with-350000-broadcasts/ |archive-date=August 13, 2014 }}</ref> In contrast to Vanderbilt, which limits access to streaming video to individuals associated with subscribing colleges and universities, the TV News Search & Borrow allows open access to its streaming video clips. In 2013, the Archive received an additional donation of "approximately 40,000 well-organized tapes" from the estate of a Philadelphia woman, Marion Stokes. Stokes "had recorded more than 35 years of TV news in Philadelphia and Boston with her VHS and Betamax machines".<ref>{{cite news |last=Brownell |first=Brett |author2=Benjy Hansen-Brandy |title=((Meet the People Behind the Wayback Machine, One of Our Favorite Things About the Internet)) |work=Mother Jones |access-date=June 7, 2014 |date=May 22, 2014 |url=https://www.motherjones.com/media/2014/05/internet-archive-wayback-machine-brewster-kahle |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607031007/https://www.motherjones.com/media/2014/05/internet-archive-wayback-machine-brewster-kahle |archive-date=June 7, 2014}}</ref>
=== Open Educational Resources === {{see also|Open educational resources}} Open Educational Resources is a digital collection containing courses, video lectures, and supplemental materials from universities in the United States and China. The contributors of this collection are ArsDigita, Hewlett Foundation, MIT, Monterey Institute, and Naropa University.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/education |title=Download & Streaming : Open Educational Resources |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=June 17, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702122916/https://archive.org/details/education |archive-date=July 2, 2014 }}</ref>
=== Miscellaneous collections === Brooklyn Museum collection contains approximately 3,000 items from Brooklyn Museum.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/brooklynmuseum |title=Brooklyn Museum: Free Image : Download & Streaming |publisher=Internet Archive |access-date=December 4, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103140547/https://archive.org/details/brooklynmuseum |archive-date=January 3, 2015 }}</ref> In December 2020, the film research library of Lillian Michelson was donated to the archive.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-01-28/hollywood-history-lillian-michelson-digital-internet-archive|title=Column: Lillian Michelson and her one-of-a-kind film library get a digital Hollywood ending|date=January 28, 2021|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=February 7, 2021|archive-date=February 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208035207/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-01-28/hollywood-history-lillian-michelson-digital-internet-archive|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Other services and endeavors == === Physical media === thumb|A vintage wall intercom, an example of another "archived" item
Voicing a strong reaction to the idea of books simply being thrown away, and inspired by the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Kahle now envisions collecting one copy of every book ever published. "We're not going to get there, but that's our goal", he said. Alongside the books, Kahle plans to store the Internet Archive's old servers, which were replaced in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/aug/01/internet-archive-books-brewster-kahle|title= Internet Archive founder turns to new information storage device – the book|date= August 1, 2011|work= The Guardian|quote= Brewster Kahle, the man behind a project to file every webpage, now wants to gather one copy of every published book |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130427023159/http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/aug/01/internet-archive-books-brewster-kahle |url-status= live|archive-date=April 27, 2013}}</ref>
=== Vault === Vault is a digital repository and preservation service provided by Internet Archive to institutions that need to preserve digital collections. Data stored in Vault is kept in at least 2 different Internet Archive datacenters, with at least 2 copies in each of them. Access control, fire protection and monitoring systems are used to protect all content stored in Vault.<ref name="Vault Support-2025">{{cite web |date=2025-05-28 |title=About Vault |url=https://vault-webservices.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/14173270954132-About-Vault |access-date=2025-06-30 |website=Vault Support |archive-date=August 31, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250831235623/https://vault-webservices.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/14173270954132-About-Vault |url-status=dead }}</ref>
=== Software === The Internet Archive has "the largest collection of historical software online in the world", spanning 50 years of computer history in terabytes of computer magazines and journals, books, shareware discs, FTP sites, video games, etc. The Internet Archive has created an archive of what it describes as "vintage software", as a way to preserve them.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Internet Archive Classic Software Preservation Project |url=https://archive.org/details/clasp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019034848/https://archive.org/details/clasp |archive-date=October 19, 2007 |access-date=October 21, 2007 |publisher=Internet Archive}}</ref> The project advocated an exemption from the United States Digital Millennium Copyright Act to permit them to bypass copy protection, which the United States Copyright Office approved in 2003 for a period of three years.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://archive.org/about/dmca.php| title=Internet Archive Gets DMCA Exemption To Help Archive Vintage Software| access-date=October 21, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071020011825/https://archive.org/about/dmca.php| archive-date= October 20, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> The Archive does not offer the software for download, as the exemption is solely "for the purpose of preservation or archival reproduction of published digital works by a library or archive".<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2006/71fr68472.html |title=Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies |journal=Federal Register |volume=71 |issue=227 |pages=68472–68480 |date=November 27, 2006 |author=Library of Congress Copyright Office |access-date=October 21, 2007 |quote=Computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and that require the original media or hardware as a condition of access, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of preservation or archival reproduction of published digital works by a library or archive. A format shall be considered obsolete if the machine or system necessary to render perceptible a work stored in that format is no longer manufactured or is no longer reasonably available in the commercial marketplace. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101055030/http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2006/71fr68472.html |archive-date=November 1, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Library of Congress renewed the exemption in 2006, and in 2009 indefinitely extended it pending further rulemakings.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2009/74fr55138.pdf |date=October 28, 2009 |title=Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies |author=Library of Congress Copyright Office |journal=Federal Register |volume=27 |issue=206 |pages=55137–55139 |access-date=December 17, 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091202003904/http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/2009/74fr55138.pdf| archive-date=December 2, 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> The Library reiterated the exemption as a "Final Rule" with no expiration date in 2010.<ref name="75_fr_43825">{{cite journal|url=https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2010/07/27/2010-18339/exemption-to-prohibition-on-circumvention-of-copyright-protection-systems-for-access-control |title=Exemption to Prohibition on Circumvention of Copyright Protection Systems for Access Control Technologies |author=Library of Congress Copyright Office |journal=Federal Register |date=July 27, 2010 |volume=75 |issue=143 |pages=43825–43839 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627172044/https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2010/07/27/2010-18339/exemption-to-prohibition-on-circumvention-of-copyright-protection-systems-for-access-control |archive-date=June 27, 2015 }}</ref> In 2013, the Internet Archive began to provide select video games browser-playable via MESS, for instance the Atari 2600 game ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2013/10/25/5028974/internet-archives-new-historic-software-collection |title=The Internet Archive puts Atari games and obsolete software directly in your browser |first=Adi |last=Robertson |date=October 25, 2013 |website=The Verge |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131027202242/http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/25/5028974/internet-archives-new-historic-software-collection |archive-date=October 27, 2013 }}</ref> Since December 23, 2014, the Internet Archive presents, via a browser-based DOSBox emulation, thousands of DOS/PC games<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/01/05/you-can-now-play-nearly-2400-ms-dos-video-games-in-your-browser/ |title=You can now play nearly 2,400 MS-DOS video games in your browser |first=Abby |last=Ohlheiser |date=January 5, 2015 |access-date=January 8, 2015 |newspaper=Washington Post |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107210746/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/01/05/you-can-now-play-nearly-2400-ms-dos-video-games-in-your-browser/ |archive-date=January 7, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Scott |first=Jason |date=December 23, 2014 |title=Each New Boot a Miracle |url=http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/4471 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109113609/http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/4471 |archive-date=January 9, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=collection:softwarelibrary_msdos |url=https://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3Asoftwarelibrary_msdos&page=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628201230/https://archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3Asoftwarelibrary_msdos&page=1 |archive-date=June 28, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://gamasutra.com/view/news/238156/Saving_video_game_history_begins_right_now.php |title=Saving video game history begins right now |date=March 5, 2015 |access-date=March 5, 2015 |website=Gamasutra |first=Kris |last=Graft |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307161450/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/238156/Saving_video_game_history_begins_right_now.php |archive-date=March 7, 2015 }}</ref> for "scholarship and research purposes only".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/about/terms.php |title=Internet Archive's Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and Copyright Policy |date=December 31, 2014 |access-date=January 8, 2015 |quote=''Access to the Archive's Collections is provided at no cost to you and is granted for scholarship and research purposes only.'' |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103160557/https://archive.org/about/terms.php |archive-date=January 3, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Lu |first1=Kathy |title=Time suck alert: 'Pac-Man' among thousands of MS-DOS games available for free |url=http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/article6061104.html |access-date=December 7, 2016 |work=The Kansas City Star |date=January 12, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220192530/http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment/article6061104.html |archive-date=December 20, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=O'Neil |first1=Lauren |title=90's kids rejoice as Internet Archive releases 2,300 MS-DOS games for free – Your Community |url=http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2015/01/90s-kids-rejoice-as-internet-archive-releases-2300-ms-dos-games-for-free.html |access-date=December 7, 2016 |work=CBCNEWS |date=January 7, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017084634/http://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2015/01/90s-kids-rejoice-as-internet-archive-releases-2300-ms-dos-games-for-free.html |archive-date=October 17, 2016 }}</ref> In November 2020, the Archive introduced a new emulator for Adobe Flash called Ruffle, and began archiving Flash animations and games ahead of the December 31, 2020, end-of-life for the Flash plugin across all computer systems.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/19/21578616/internet-archive-preservation-flash-animations-games-adobe | title = The Internet Archive is now preserving Flash games and animations | first = Ian Carlos | last = Campbell | date = November 19, 2020 | access-date = November 19, 2020 | work = The Verge | archive-date = November 20, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201120014816/https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/19/21578616/internet-archive-preservation-flash-animations-games-adobe | url-status = live }}</ref>
=== Table Top Scribe System <span class="anchor" id="ttscribe"></span> === A combined hardware software system has been developed that performs a safe method of digitizing content.<ref name="ttscribe1">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/tabletopscribesystem|access-date=October 23, 2018|title=Table Top Scribe System|website=Internet Archive|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010084141/https://archive.org/details/tabletopscribesystem|archive-date=October 10, 2018}}</ref><ref name="LinuxsSavesCongress">{{cite web|url=https://www.linux.com/news/linux-help-library-congress-save-american-history|title=Linux to help the Library of Congress save American history|first=Michael|last=Stutz|publisher=The Linux foundation|website=Linux.com|date=March 28, 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171023085241/https://www.linux.com/news/linux-help-library-congress-save-american-history|archive-date=October 23, 2017}}</ref>
=== Credit Union === From 2012 to November 2015, the Internet Archive operated the Internet Archive Federal Credit Union, a federal credit union based in New Brunswick, New Jersey, with the goal of providing access to low- and middle-income people. Throughout its short existence, the IAFCU experienced significant conflicts with the National Credit Union Administration, which severely limited the IAFCU's loan portfolio and concerns over serving Bitcoin firms. At the time of its dissolution, it consisted of 395 members and was worth $2.5 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cutimes.com/2015/12/18/death-of-a-credit-union-internet-archive-fcu-volun/|title=Death of a Credit Union: Internet Archive FCU Voluntarily Liquidates|first=Peter|last=Strozniak|date=December 18, 2015|work=Credit Union Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006060504/https://www.cutimes.com/2015/12/18/death-of-a-credit-union-internet-archive-fcu-volun/|archive-date=October 6, 2019|access-date=October 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.archive.org/2015/11/24/difficult-times-at-our-credit-union/|title=Difficult Times at our Credit Union|website=Internet Archive Blogs|date=November 24, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616165210/http://blog.archive.org/2015/11/24/difficult-times-at-our-credit-union/|archive-date=June 16, 2019|access-date=October 6, 2019}}</ref>
=== Decentralization === Since 2019,<ref>{{cite web |date=2019-03-24 |title=Coming this Summer: The First DWeb Camp {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2019/03/24/coming-this-summer-the-first-dweb-camp/ |access-date=2023-07-04}}</ref> the Internet Archive organizes an event called Decentralized Web Camp (DWeb Camp). It is an annual camp that brings together a diverse global community of contributors in a natural setting. The camp aims to tackle real-world challenges facing the web and co-create decentralized technologies for a better internet. It aims to foster collaboration, learning, and fun while promoting principles of trust, human agency, mutual respect, and ecological awareness.<ref>{{cite web |title=DWeb Camp 2023 |url=https://dwebcamp.org/ |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=dwebcamp.org |archive-date=July 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703083648/http://dwebcamp.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
=== Wayforward Machine === thumb|Screenshot of viewing English Wikipedia on the Wayforward Machine On September 30, 2021, as a part of its 25th anniversary celebration, Internet Archive launched the "Wayforward Machine", a satirical, fictional website covered with pop-ups asking for personal information. The site was intended to depict a fictional dystopian timeline of real-world events leading to such a future, such as the repeal of Section 230 of the United States Code in 2022 and the introduction of advertising implants in 2041.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Holt |first1=Kris |date=7 October 2021 |title=The Internet Archive's 'Wayforward Machine' paints a grim future for the web |work=Engadget |url=https://www.engadget.com/internet-archive-wayforward-machine-web-future-wayback-175936050.html |url-status=live |access-date=7 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007182944/https://www.engadget.com/internet-archive-wayforward-machine-web-future-wayback-175936050.html |archive-date=October 7, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Imagine the future of the Internet |url=https://wayforward.archive.org/ia2046/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117143420/https://wayforward.archive.org/IA2046/ |archive-date=November 17, 2021 |access-date=7 October 2021 |website=Internet Archive}}</ref>
=== Ceramic archivists collection === [[File:Ceramic Archivists by sculptor Nuala Creed at Internet Archive.jpg|thumb|Ceramic figures of Internet Archive employees]]
The Great Room of the Internet Archive features a collection of more than 100 ceramic figures representing employees of the Internet Archive, with the 100th statue immortalizing Aaron Swartz. This collection, inspired by the statues of the Xian warriors in China, was commissioned by Brewster Kahle, sculpted by Nuala Creed, and as of 2014, is ongoing.<ref>{{cite news |last=Levy |first=Karyne |date=April 29, 2014 |title=These Are The Ceramic Action Figures For The Heroes Of The Internet |work=Business Insider |publisher=Insider Inc. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-internet-archives-100-ceramic-statues-2014-4?IR=T |url-status=live |access-date=July 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704233123/https://www.businessinsider.com/the-internet-archives-100-ceramic-statues-2014-4?IR=T |archive-date=July 4, 2021}}</ref>
=== Artists in residence === The Internet Archive visual arts residency,<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 11, 2017 |title=Internet Archive is a treasure trove of material for artists |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Internet-Archive-is-a-treasure-trove-of-material-11751319.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801171741/https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Internet-Archive-is-a-treasure-trove-of-material-11751319.php |archive-date=August 1, 2019 |access-date=August 1, 2019 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |last1=Desmarais |first1=By Charles }}</ref> organized by Amir Saber Esfahani, is designed to connect emerging and mid-career artists with the Archive's millions of collections and to show what is possible when open access to information intersects with the arts. During this one-year residency, selected artists develop a body of work that responds to and utilizes the Archive's collections in their own practice.<ref name="res2019">{{cite web |author=Amir Saber Esfahani |date=June 22, 2019 |title=The Internet Archive's 2019 Artists in Residency Exhibition |url=https://blog.archive.org/2019/06/22/the-internet-archives-2019-artist-in-residency-exhibition/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624180808/https://blog.archive.org/2019/06/22/the-internet-archives-2019-artist-in-residency-exhibition/ |archive-date=June 24, 2019 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=Internet Archive Blogs}}</ref> * 2024–2025 Residency Artist Swilk<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-06 |title=New Installation from Swilk, Artist in Residence, Opens November 9 {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2024/11/06/new-installation-from-swilk-artist-in-residence-opens-november-9/ |access-date=2025-04-14}}</ref> * 2021–2022 Residency Artist Casey Gray<ref>{{Cite web |last=Esfahani |first=Amir Saber |date=2022-02-01 |title=Artist in Residence Casey Gray Exhibits New Work at Hashimoto Contemporary {{!}} Internet Archive Blogs |url=https://blog.archive.org/2022/02/01/artist-in-residence-casey-gray-exhibits-new-work-at-hashimoto-contemporary/ |access-date=2025-04-14}}</ref> * 2019 Residency Artists: Caleb Duarte, Whitney Lynn, and Jeffrey Alan Scudder<ref name="res2019" /><ref>{{cite web |title=The Internet Archive's 2019 Artist In Residence Exhibition |url=https://www.artsy.net/show/ever-gold-projects-the-internet-archives-2019-artist-in-residence-exhibition |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305020427/https://www.artsy.net/show/ever-gold-projects-the-internet-archives-2019-artist-in-residence-exhibition |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=Artsy}}</ref> * 2018 Residency Artists: Mieke Marple, Chris Sollars, and Taravat Talepasand<ref>{{cite web |author=Amir Saber Esfahani |date=June 19, 2018 |title=The Internet Archive's 2018 Artis in Residency Exhibition |url=https://blog.archive.org/2018/06/19/the-internet-archives-2018-artist-in-residency-exhibition/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626031827/https://blog.archive.org/2018/06/19/the-internet-archives-2018-artist-in-residency-exhibition/ |archive-date=June 26, 2018 |access-date=March 4, 2023 |website=Internet Archives Blogs}}</ref> * 2017 Residency Artists: Laura Kim, Jeremiah Jenkins, and Jenny Odell<ref>{{cite web |date=2017 |title=The Internet Archive's 2017 Artist in residence Exhibition |url=https://minnesotastreetproject.com/exhibitions/1275-minnesota-st/internet-archive%E2%80%99s-2017-artist-residence-exhibition |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170726234423/https://minnesotastreetproject.com/exhibitions/1275-minnesota-st/internet-archive%E2%80%99s-2017-artist-residence-exhibition |archive-date=July 26, 2017 |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=Minnesota Street Project}}</ref>
== Controversies, legal disputes, and activism == {{see also|Wayback Machine#In legal evidence|l1=Wayback Machine § In legal evidence}} thumb|The main hall of the current headquarters
=== Opposition to national security letters, bills and settlements === {{Anchor|National security letter}} {{multiple image | width = 160 | image1 = EFF-IA National security letter.pdf | image2 = EFF-IA National security letter.pdf{{!}}page=2 | footer = A national security letter issued to the Internet Archive demanding information about a user | direction = horizontal}}
On May 8, 2008, it was revealed that the Internet Archive had successfully challenged an FBI national security letter asking for logs on an undisclosed user.<ref>{{cite news|author=Broache, Anne |date=May 7, 2008 |url=http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9938603-7.html |title=FBI rescinds secret order for Internet Archive records |work=CNet |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515080212/http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9938603-7.html |archive-date=May 15, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Nakashima, Ellen |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/07/AR2008050703808.html |title=FBI Backs Off From Secret Order for Data After Lawsuit |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=May 8, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080906223324/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/07/AR2008050703808.html |archive-date=September 6, 2008 }}</ref>
On November 28, 2016, it was revealed that a second FBI national security letter asking for logs on another undisclosed user was successfully challenged.<ref>{{cite news|author=Crocker, Andrew |date=December 1, 2016 |url=https://www.eff.org/press/releases/internet-archive-received-national-security-letter-fbi-misinformation-about |title=Internet Archive Received National Security Letter with FBI Misinformation about Challenging Gag Order |work=Electronic Frontier Foundation |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213125951/https://www.eff.org/press/releases/internet-archive-received-national-security-letter-fbi-misinformation-about |archive-date=December 13, 2016 }}</ref>
The Internet Archive blacked out its website for 12 hours on January 18, 2012, in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act and the PROTECT IP Act bills, two pieces of legislation in the United States Congress that they argued would "negatively affect the ecosystem of web publishing that led to the emergence of the Internet Archive". This occurred in conjunction with the English Wikipedia blackout, as well as numerous other protests across the Internet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.archive.org/2012/01/17/12-hours-dark-internet-archive-vs-censorship/ |title=12 Hours Dark: Internet Archive vs. Censorship |last=Kahle |first=Brewster |date=January 17, 2012 |work=Internet Archive Blogs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813030617/https://blog.archive.org/2012/01/17/12-hours-dark-internet-archive-vs-censorship/ |archive-date=August 13, 2014 }}</ref>
The Internet Archive is a member of the Open Book Alliance, which has been among the most outspoken critics of the Google Book Settlement. The Archive advocates an alternative digital library project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opencontentalliance.org/ |title=Open Content Alliance |publisher=opencontentalliance.org |access-date=April 13, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130410032304/http://www.opencontentalliance.org/ |archive-date=April 10, 2013 }}</ref>
=== Hosting of disputed media === On October 9, 2016, the Internet Archive was temporarily blocked in Turkey after it was used (amongst other file hosting services) by hackers to host 17 GB of leaked government emails.<ref>{{cite web|title=Turkey restores access to Google Drive after blocking cloud storage services|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-restores-access-to-google-drive-after-blocking-cloud-storage-services.aspx?pageID=238&nID=104784&NewsCatID=339|website=Turkey Blocks| date=October 10, 2016 |access-date=October 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924185119/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-restores-access-to-google-drive-after-blocking-cloud-storage-services.aspx?pageID=238&nID=104784&NewsCatID=339|archive-date=September 24, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2017/turkey|title=Turkey Country Report | Freedom on the Net 2017|date=November 14, 2017|website=freedomhouse.org|access-date=December 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227084718/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2017/turkey|archive-date=December 27, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
Because the Internet Archive only lightly moderates uploads, it includes resources that may be valued by extremists and the site may be used by them to evade block listing. In February 2018, the Counter Extremism Project said that the Archive hosted terrorist videos, including the beheading of Alan Henning, and had declined to respond to requests about the videos.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.counterextremism.com/blog/dark-side-internet-archive|title=The Dark Side of the Internet Archive|first=Joanna|last=Fisher-Birch|date=14 February 2018|access-date=25 February 2024|publisher=Counter Extremism Project|archive-date=February 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225233253/https://www.counterextremism.com/blog/dark-side-internet-archive|url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2018, a report published by the cyber-security firm Flashpoint stated that the Islamic State was using the Internet Archive to share its propaganda.<ref name=BBC2018>{{cite web|access-date=6 February 2022|title=IS propaganda 'hidden on Internet Archive'|date=15 May 2018|last=Kelion|first=Leo|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-44112431|archive-date=February 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206225416/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-44112431|url-status=live}}</ref> Chris Butler, from the Internet Archive, responded that they regularly spoke to the US and EU governments about sharing information on terrorism.<ref name=BBC2018/> In April 2019, Europol, acting on a referral from French police, asked the Internet Archive to remove 550 sites of "terrorist propaganda".<ref name=BBC2019>{{cite web|access-date=6 February 2022|title=Internet Archive denies hosting 'terrorist' content|date=12 April 2019|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47908220|archive-date=February 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206225410/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47908220|url-status=live}}</ref> The Archive rejected the request, saying that the reports were wrong about the content they pointed to, or were too broad for the organization to comply with.<ref name=BBC2019/> On July 14, 2021, the Internet Archive held a joint "Referral Action Day" with Europol to target terrorist videos.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/jihadist-content-targeted-internet-archive-platform|title=Jihadist content targeted on Internet Archive platform|publisher=Europol|access-date=18 September 2023|archive-date=September 21, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921161333/https://www.europol.europa.eu/media-press/newsroom/news/jihadist-content-targeted-internet-archive-platform|url-status=live}}</ref>
A 2021 article said that jihadists regularly used the Internet Archive for "dead drops" of terrorist videos.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27044234|title=The Dead Drops of Online Terrorism: How Jihadists Use Anonymous Online Platforms|last1=Weimann|first1=Gabriel|last2=Vellante|first2=Asia|journal=Perspectives on Terrorism|volume=15|number=4|pages=39–53|date=August 2021|jstor=27044234|access-date=18 September 2023|archive-date=October 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231023005815/https://www.jstor.org/stable/27044234|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2022, a former UCLA lecturer's 800-page manifesto, containing racist ideas and threats against UCLA staff, was uploaded to the Internet Archive.<ref name=Vice>{{cite news|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/archivists-are-putting-terrorist-manifestos-online-should-they-stay-there/|title=Archivists Are Putting Terrorist Manifestos Online. Should They Stay There?|last=Woodcock|first=Claire|date=14 February 2022|access-date=2 March 2022|publisher=Vice|archive-date=March 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302220806/https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvn5g3/archivists-are-putting-terrorist-manifestos-online-should-they-stay-there|url-status=live}}</ref> The manifesto was removed by the Internet Archive after a week, amidst discussion about whether such documents should be preserved by archivists or not.<ref name=Vice/> A 2022 paper by Gabriel Weimann found "an alarming volume of terrorist, extremist, and racist material on the Internet Archive".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/chapter-detail?id=1076559|chapter=Open Archive of Hate: Terrorism and Violent Extremism on Internet Archive|pages=10–24|title=Proceedings of the 28th International RAIS Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities|date=2022|publisher=Scientia Moralitas Research Institute|archive-date=October 23, 2023|access-date=October 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231023005816/https://www.ceeol.com/search/chapter-detail?id=1076559|url-status=live|last=Weimann|first=Gabriel|author-link=Gabriel Weimann}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=February 2026}} A 2023 paper reported that Neo-Nazis collect links to online, publicly available resources to be shared with new recruits. As the Internet Archive hosts uploaded texts that are not allowed on other websites, Nazi and neo-Nazi books in the Archive (e.g., ''The Turner Diaries'') frequently appear on these lists. These lists also feature older, public domain material created when white supremacist views were more mainstream.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Boucher |first1=Geoff |last2=Young |first2=Helen |date=2023 |title=Digital books and the far right |journal=Continuum |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=140–152 |doi=10.1080/10304312.2023.2191905 |s2cid=257783779 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
=== 2020 National Emergency Library === In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic which closed many schools, universities, and libraries, the Archive announced on March 24, 2020, that it was creating the National Emergency Library by removing the lending restrictions it had in place for 1.4 million digitized books in its Open Library but otherwise limiting users to the number of books they could check out and enforcing their return; normally, the site would only allow one digital lending for each physical copy of the book they had, by use of an encrypted file that would become unusable after the lending period was completed.<ref name="NYT-20230813" /> This Library would remain as such until at least June 30, 2020, or until the US national emergency was over, whichever came later.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/03/internet-archive-offers-thousands-of-copyrighted-books-for-free-online/|title=Internet Archive offers 1.4 million copyrighted books for free online|last=Lee|first=Timothy B.|date=2020-03-28|website=Ars Technica|access-date=2020-04-10|archive-date=March 28, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200328195723/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/03/internet-archive-offers-thousands-of-copyrighted-books-for-free-online/ |url-status=live}}</ref> At launch, the Internet Archive allowed authors and rightholders to submit opt-out requests for their works to be omitted from the National Emergency Library.<ref name="ArchiveResponse">{{Cite web |title=Internet Archive responds: Why we released the National Emergency Library |url=https://blog.archive.org/2020/03/30/internet-archive-responds-why-we-released-the-national-emergency-library/ |last=Freeland |first=Chris |date=2020-03-30 |website=Internet Archive Blogs |access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/story/the-national-emergency-library-and-its-discontents/ | title = The National Emergency Library and Its Discontents | first = Noam | last = Cohen | date = April 20, 2020 | access-date = April 20, 2020 | magazine = Wired | archive-date = April 20, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200420142718/https://www.wired.com/story/the-national-emergency-library-and-its-discontents/ | url-status = live }}</ref><ref name = an>{{Cite web |title=Internet Archive accused of using Covid-19 as 'an excuse for piracy' |url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/30/internet-archive-accused-of-using-covid-19-as-an-excuse-for-piracy |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=2020-03-30 |website=The Guardian |access-date=2020-05-26 |archive-date=March 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200331001559/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/30/internet-archive-accused-of-using-covid-19-as-an-excuse-for-piracy |url-status=live }}</ref>
The Internet Archive said the National Emergency Library addressed an "unprecedented global and immediate need for access to reading and research material" due to the closures of physical libraries worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Announcing a National Emergency Library to Provide Digitized Books to Students and the Public |url=http://blog.archive.org/2020/03/24/announcing-a-national-emergency-library-to-provide-digitized-books-to-students-and-the-public/ |last=Freeland |first=Chris |date=2020-03-24 |website=Internet Archive Blogs |access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref> They justified the move in a number of ways. Legally, they said they were promoting access to those inaccessible resources, which they claimed was an exercise in fair use principles. The Archive continued implementing their controlled digital lending policy that predated the National Emergency Library, meaning they still encrypted the lent copies and it was no easier for users to create new copies of the books than before. An ultimate determination of whether or not the National Emergency Library constituted fair use could only be made by a court. Morally, they also pointed out that the Internet Archive was a registered library like any other, that they either paid for the books themselves or received them as donations, and that lending through libraries predated copyright restrictions.<ref name="ArchiveResponse"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Digitization 101: The National Emergency Library |url=http://hurstassociates.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-national-emergency-library.html |last=Hurst-Wahl |first=Jill |date=2020-04-20 |website=Digitization 101 |access-date=2020-05-26 |archive-date=May 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531053252/http://hurstassociates.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-national-emergency-library.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The Archive had already been criticized by authors and publishers for its prior lending approach, and upon announcement of the National Emergency Library, authors, publishers, and groups representing both took further issue with The Archive and its Open Library project, equating the move to copyright infringement and digital piracy, and using the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason to push the boundaries of copyright.<ref name="an" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hampton |first1=Rachelle |title=The Internet Archive Started an "Emergency" Online Library. Authors Are Furious. |url=https://slate.com/culture/2020/04/internet-archive-national-emergency-library-controversy.html |website=Slate |date=April 2020 |access-date=30 July 2021 |archive-date=April 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200403000508/https://slate.com/culture/2020/04/internet-archive-national-emergency-library-controversy.html |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.npr.org/2020/03/30/823797545/authors-publishers-condemn-the-national-emergency-library-as-piracy | title = Authors, Publishers Condemn The 'National Emergency Library' As 'Piracy' | first = Colin | last = Dwyer | date = March 30, 2020 | access-date = March 30, 2020 | work = NPR | archive-date = March 30, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200330193055/https://www.npr.org/2020/03/30/823797545/authors-publishers-condemn-the-national-emergency-library-as-piracy | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/4/2/21201193/emergency-library-internet-archive-controversy-coronavirus-pandemic | title = Why authors are so angry about the Internet Archive's Emergency Library | first = Constance | last = Grady | date = April 2, 2020 | access-date = April 2, 2020 | work = Vox | archive-date = April 4, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200404010247/https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/4/2/21201193/emergency-library-internet-archive-controversy-coronavirus-pandemic | url-status = live }}</ref> After the works of some of these authors were ridiculed in responses, the Internet Archive's Jason Scott requested that supporters of the National Emergency Library not denigrate anyone's books: "I realize there's strong debate and disagreement here, but books are life-giving and life-changing and these writers made them."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://locusmag.com/2020/05/internet-archive-controversy/|title=Internet Archive Controversy|newspaper=Lotus|access-date=25 May 2020|date=2 May 2020|archive-date=May 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526205517/https://locusmag.com/2020/05/internet-archive-controversy/|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Access blocking in Indonesia === On 27 May 2025, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs of Indonesia (abbreviated as Komdigi) blocked access to the Internet Archive in Indonesia.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1927152357206372376|user=OpenObservatory|title=Today, on 26th May 2025, #Indonesia started blocking access to @internetarchive.|access-date=2025-05-26}}</ref> Alexander Sabar, the Director General of the Supervision of Digital Space, stated that the reason was the presence of pornography and online gambling on the site. He denied a rumor that there was motive to rewrite or hide history. He also acknowledged the importance of the Internet Archive, and claimed that the blocking was temporary and would be rescinded if they removed the offending content, and that they only blocked it after the Internet Archive did not respond to their requests.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shabrina |first=Dinda |date=2025-05-28 |title=Pemerintah Bilang Tak Ada Motif Sejarah di Balik Pemblokiran Situs Archive.org |trans-title=Government Says No History Motive Behind The Blocking of Archive.org Site |url=https://www.tempo.co/politik/pemerintah-bilang-tak-ada-motif-sejarah-di-balik-pemblokiran-situs-archive-org--1573556 |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=Tempo |language=id |archive-date=May 30, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530132427/https://www.tempo.co/politik/pemerintah-bilang-tak-ada-motif-sejarah-di-balik-pemblokiran-situs-archive-org--1573556 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ramadan |first=Muhamad |title=Gudang Arsip Dunia Kena Blokir! Internet Archive Dibungkam Komdigi: Konten Judi Online & Porno Jadi Biang Keladi! |trans-title=The World's Archive Warehouse Has Been Blocked! Internet Archive Silenced By Komdigi: Online Gambling & Porno Content Becomes A Troublemaker! |url=https://tekno.sindonews.com/read/1573753/207/gudang-arsip-dunia-kena-blokir-internet-archive-dibungkam-komdigi-konten-judi-online-porno-jadi-biang-keladi-1748567159 |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=SINDOnews Tekno |language=id-ID |archive-date=May 30, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250530132427/https://tekno.sindonews.com/read/1573753/207/gudang-arsip-dunia-kena-blokir-internet-archive-dibungkam-komdigi-konten-judi-online-porno-jadi-biang-keladi-1748567159 |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 30, 2025, Indonesia lifted the block on the Internet Archive after they removed the offending content.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fauziyah |first=Najla Nur |date=2025-05-30 |title=Indonesia Lifts Block on Archive.org Following Compliance on 'Harmful Content' Removal |url=https://en.tempo.co/read/2012488/indonesia-lifts-block-on-archive-org-following-compliance-on-harmful-content-removal |access-date=2025-12-10 |website=Tempo |language=en}}</ref>
=== Access blocking in Iraq === In November 2024, the Internet Archive was blocked in Iraq. The Ministry of Communications of Iraq has not publicly addressed the restriction.<ref name="intellinews-2024">{{Cite web |date=2024-11-29 |title=Iraq blocks 4chan in latest internet crackdown |url=https://www.intellinews.com/iraq-blocks-4chan-in-latest-internet-crackdown-355802/ |access-date=2026-02-02 |website=www.intellinews.com |language=en}}</ref>
== Copyright issues == In November 2005, free downloads of Grateful Dead concerts were removed from the site, following what seemed to be disagreements between some of the former band members. John Perry Barlow identified Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Bill Kreutzmann as the instigators of the change, according to an article in ''The New York Times''.<ref name="leeds">{{cite news |last1=Leeds |first1=Jeff |last2=Mayshark |first2=Jesse Fox |date=December 1, 2005 |title=Wrath of Deadheads stalls a Web crackdown |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/01/technology/01iht-deadheads.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150508194949/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/01/technology/01iht-deadheads.html |archive-date=May 8, 2015}}</ref> Phil Lesh supported keeping the concerts free.<ref name="lesh">{{cite web |last=Lesh |first=Phil |author-link=Phil Lesh |date=November 30, 2005 |title=An Announcement from Phil Lesh |url=http://www.phillesh.net/philzonepages/friends_stuff/hotline-051130.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715072102/http://www.phillesh.net/philzonepages/friends_stuff/hotline-051130.html |archive-date=July 15, 2007 |work=Hotline |publisher=PhilLesh.net |type=blog |quote=It was brought to my attention that all of the Grateful Dead shows were taken down from Archive.org right before Thanksgiving. I was not part of this decision making process and was not notified that the shows were to be pulled. I do feel that the music is the Grateful Dead's legacy and I hope that one way or another all of it is available for those who want it.}}</ref> A November 30 forum post from Brewster Kahle summarized what appeared to be the compromise reached among the band members. Audience recordings could be downloaded or streamed, but soundboard recordings were to be available for streaming only. Concerts have since been re-added.<ref name="kahle">{{cite web |last1=Kahle |first1=Brewster |last2=Vernon |first2=Matt |date=December 1, 2005 |title=Good News and an Apology: GD on the Internet Archive |url=https://archive.org/post/49553/good-news-and-an-apology-gd-on-the-internet-archive |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140806205924/https://archive.org/post/49553/good-news-and-an-apology-gd-on-the-internet-archive |archive-date=August 6, 2014 |work=Live Music Archive Forum |publisher=Internet Archive}} ''Authors and date indicate the first posting in the forum thread''.</ref>
In February 2016, Internet Archive users had begun archiving digital copies of ''Nintendo Power'', Nintendo's official magazine for their games and products, which ran from 1988 to 2012. The first 140 issues had been collected, before Nintendo had the archive removed on August 8, 2016. In response to the take-down, Nintendo told gaming website ''Polygon'', "[Nintendo] must protect our own characters, trademarks and other content. The unapproved use of Nintendo's intellectual property can weaken our ability to protect and preserve it, or to possibly use it for new projects".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2016/8/8/12405278/nintendo-power-issues-disappear-from-free-online-archive |title=Nintendo takes down Nintendo Power collection from Internet Archive after noticing it |last=Frank |first=Allegra |date=August 8, 2016 |website=Polygon |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811134720/http://www.polygon.com/2016/8/8/12405278/nintendo-power-issues-disappear-from-free-online-archive |archive-date=August 11, 2016 }}</ref>
In August 2017, the Department of Telecommunications of the Government of India blocked the Internet Archive along with other file-sharing websites, in accordance with two court orders issued by the Madras High Court,<ref name="gtech">{{cite web |date=9 August 2017 |title=((Indian ISP Ban on Wayback Machine Lifted? Confirmation Awaited)) |url=https://www.guidingtech.com/70862/wayback-machine-ban-india-internet-archive/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412131313/https://www.guidingtech.com/70862/wayback-machine-ban-india-internet-archive/ |archive-date=April 12, 2020 |access-date=12 April 2020 |publisher=Guiding Tech}}</ref> citing piracy concerns after copies of two Bollywood films were allegedly shared via the service.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40875528 |title=Bollywood blocks the Internet Archive |last=Kelion |first=Leo |date=August 9, 2017 |work=BBC |url-status=live |access-date=January 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806052316/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40875528 |archive-date=August 6, 2018 }}</ref> The HTTP version of the Archive was blocked but it remained accessible using the HTTPS protocol.<ref name="gtech" />
In 2023, the Internet Archive became a popular site for Indians to watch the first episode of ''India: The Modi Question'',<ref name="TheHindu">{{cite news |last=Deep |first=Aroon |date=23 January 2023 |title=Internet Archive takes down upload of BBC's Modi documentary |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/internet-archive-takes-down-upload-of-bbcs-modi-documentary/article66425460.ece |url-status=live |access-date=29 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129001541/https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/internet-archive-takes-down-upload-of-bbcs-modi-documentary/article66425460.ece |archive-date=January 29, 2023}}</ref> a BBC documentary released on January 17 and banned in India by January 20.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Why India has banned this documentary about its Prime Minister Narendra Modi |publisher=SBS World News |date=January 27, 2023 |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/why-india-has-banned-this-documentary-about-its-prime-minister-narendra-modi/6b947mrug |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241126210855/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/why-india-has-banned-this-documentary-about-its-prime-minister-narendra-modi/6b947mrug |archive-date=November 26, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Pandey |first=Devesh K. |title=I&B Ministry blocks BBC documentary critical of PM Modi; Opposition slams 'censorship' |work=The Hindu |date=January 21, 2023 |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ib-ministry-orders-blocking-of-bbc-documentary-india-the-modi-question-critical-of-pm-modi-on-youtube-twitter/article66416654.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122071344/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ib-ministry-orders-blocking-of-bbc-documentary-india-the-modi-question-critical-of-pm-modi-on-youtube-twitter/article66416654.ece |archive-date=January 22, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> The video was reported to have been removed by the Archive on January 23.<ref name="TheHindu" /> The Internet Archive then stated, on January 27, that they had removed the video in response to a BBC request under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.<ref>{{cite web |last=Butler |first=Chris |date=January 27, 2023 |title=BBC Modi Documentary Removal |url=https://blog.archive.org/2023/01/27/bbc-modi-documentary-removal/ |access-date=January 29, 2023 |publisher=Internet Archive |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241109080831/https://blog.archive.org/2023/01/27/bbc-modi-documentary-removal/ |archive-date=November 9, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>
By 2026, ''The New York Times'' and ''The Guardian'' are among the outlets concerned about scraping of the Internet Archive of their content as a way to get around the defenses against scraping from their own websites. Some news organizations are restricting the Internet Archive's crawlers.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Deck |first1=Andrew |last2=Tameez |first2=Hanaa' |date=January 28, 2026 |title=News publishers limit Internet Archive access due to AI scraping concerns |url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news-publishers-limit-internet-archive-access-due-to-ai-scraping-concerns/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260215163153/https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/01/news-publishers-limit-internet-archive-access-due-to-ai-scraping-concerns/ |archive-date=February 15, 2026 |access-date=2026-02-17 |work=Nieman Lab |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Neilson |first=Tai |date=2026-02-05 |title=News sites are locking out the Internet Archive to stop AI crawling. Is the 'open web' closing? |url=http://theconversation.com/news-sites-are-locking-out-the-internet-archive-to-stop-ai-crawling-is-the-open-web-closing-274968 |access-date=2026-02-17 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Book publishers' lawsuit === {{main|Hachette v. Internet Archive}}
The operation of the National Emergency Library was part of a lawsuit filed against the Internet Archive by four major book publishers—Hachette, HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, and Penguin Random House—in June 2020, challenging the copyright validity of the controlled digital lending program.<ref name="NYT-20230813" /><ref name="open library lawsuit"/><ref>{{Cite news|last=DiFeliciantonio|first=Chase|date=6 September 2021|title=He founded the Internet Archive with a utopian vision. That hasn't changed, but the internet has|work=San Francisco Chronicle|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/tech/article/He-founded-the-Internet-Archive-with-a-Utopian-16434559.php|access-date=15 November 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115095138/https://www.sfchronicle.com/tech/article/He-founded-the-Internet-Archive-with-a-Utopian-16434559.php|url-status=live}}</ref> In response, the Internet Archive closed the National Emergency Library on June 16, 2020, rather than the planned June 30, 2020, due to the lawsuit.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/06/internet-archive-ends-emergency-library-early-to-appease-publishers/ | title = Internet Archive ends "emergency library" early to appease publishers | first = Timothy | last = Lee | date = June 11, 2020 | access-date = June 14, 2020 | work = Ars Technica | archive-date = June 14, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200614074641/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/06/internet-archive-ends-emergency-library-early-to-appease-publishers/ | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dwyer |first1=Colin |title=Publishers Sue Internet Archive For 'Mass Copyright Infringement' |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/06/03/868861704/publishers-sue-internet-archive-for-mass-copyright-infringement |access-date=16 October 2020 |agency=NPR |date=3 June 2020 |archive-date=October 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030042353/https://www.npr.org/2020/06/03/868861704/publishers-sue-internet-archive-for-mass-copyright-infringement |url-status=live }}</ref> The plaintiffs, supported by the Copyright Alliance,<ref>{{cite web |title=Copyright Alliance Statement on Book Publishers' Infringement Suit Against Internet Archive |url=https://copyrightalliance.org/news-events/press-releases/june-1-2020/ |website=Copyright Alliance |date=June 2020 |access-date=17 January 2021 |archive-date=January 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122182325/https://copyrightalliance.org/news-events/press-releases/june-1-2020/ |url-status=live }}</ref> claimed in their lawsuit that the Internet Archive's actions constituted a "willful mass copyright infringement".<ref name="nytimes lawsuit june2020">{{cite news |last1=Harris |first1=Elizabeth |date=11 June 2020 |title=Internet Archive Will End Its Program for Free E-Books |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/11/books/internet-archive-national-emergency-library-coronavirus.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615094026/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/11/books/internet-archive-national-emergency-library-coronavirus.html |archive-date=June 15, 2020 |access-date=15 June 2020 |publisher=NY Times}}</ref>
Judge Koeltl ruled on March 24, 2023, against Internet Archive in the case, saying the National Emergency Library concept was not fair use, so the Archive infringed copyrights by lending out the publisher's books without the waitlist restriction. An agreement was then reached for the Internet Archive to pay an undisclosed amount to the publishers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.techspot.com/news/99769-internet-archive-reaches-agreement-publishers-digital-book-lending.html|title=The Internet Archive reaches an agreement with publishers in digital book-lending case|last=Maruccia|first=Alfonso|date=14 August 2023|publisher=Tech Spot|archive-date=October 23, 2023|access-date=October 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231023005815/https://www.techspot.com/news/99769-internet-archive-reaches-agreement-publishers-digital-book-lending.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Internet Archive appealed the ruling.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hollister |first=Sean |date=2023-03-25 |title=The Internet Archive has lost its first fight to scan and lend e-books like a library |url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/24/23655804/internet-archive-hatchette-publisher-ebook-library-lawsuit |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=The Verge |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325001705/https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/24/23655804/internet-archive-hatchette-publisher-ebook-library-lawsuit |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hernandez |first1=Joe |title=A judge sided with publishers in a lawsuit over the Internet Archive's online library |url=https://www.npr.org/2023/03/26/1166101459/internet-archive-lawsuit-books-library-publishers |access-date=27 March 2023 |publisher=NPR |date=26 March 2023 |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327010123/https://www.npr.org/2023/03/26/1166101459/internet-archive-lawsuit-books-library-publishers |url-status=live }}</ref> On September 4, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the district court's ruling, calling the Internet Archive's argument that they were shielded by fair use doctrine "unpersuasive".<ref name="wired-4sep2024">{{cite magazine |last1=Knibbs |first1=Kate |title=The Internet Archive Loses Its Appeal of a Major Copyright Case |url=https://www.wired.com/story/internet-archive-loses-hachette-books-case-appeal/ |access-date=September 4, 2024 |magazine=WIRED |date=September 4, 2024 |archive-date=September 18, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240918140951/https://www.wired.com/story/internet-archive-loses-hachette-books-case-appeal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Nevertheless, the ruling also benefited Internet Archive because the restrictions did not apply to out of print books; and for in-print books, it only applies if the book has an electronic version available for sale.<ref name="Freeland 2023" /> The archive could continue offering short passages of books, for example linking to a page number from a Wiki<!-- The Wikipedia example is explicit in the source -->pedia citation.<ref name="Freeland 2023">{{cite web |last=Freeland |first=Chris |title=What the Hachette v. Internet Archive Decision Means for Our Library |work=Internet Archive |date=August 17, 2023 |access-date=2025-12-15 |url=https://blog.archive.org/2023/08/17/what-the-hachette-v-internet-archive-decision-means-for-our-library/ }}</ref> The ruling reduced the number of books available to researchers and Wikipedians.<ref name=":0" /> Over 500,000 books were taken down as a result.<ref name=":0" />
=== Music publishers' lawsuit === {{main|Universal Music Group v. Internet Archive}}
In August 2023, the music industry corporations Universal Music Group (UMG), Sony Music and Concord sued the Internet Archive over its Great 78 Project, asserting the project was engaged in copyright infringement. The Great 78 Project stores digitized versions of pre-1972 songs and albums from 78 rpm phonograph records, for "the preservation, research and discovery of 78rpm records". The project had started in 2016, when pre-1972 recordings had not been protected by copyright; in 2018, the U.S. Congress passed the Music Modernization Act (MMA) which enabled legal remedies for unauthorized use of pre-1972 recordings until 2067, thus effectively covering them with copyright.<ref name="MIP">{{cite news |title=Internet Archive could face major hurdles in latest case |work=Managing Intellectual Property |date=August 17, 2023 |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2865693633|id={{ProQuest|2865693633}} }}</ref>
UMG and Sony had been the two largest companies in this sector for more than a decade, with respective market shares of 31.8% and 22.1% in 2023.<ref>{{citation |title=Digital and physical revenue market share of the largest record companies worldwide from 2012 to 2023 |work=Statista |date=May 29, 2024 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/422926/record-companies-market-share-worldwide-physical-digital-revenues |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204054907/https://www.statista.com/statistics/422926/record-companies-market-share-worldwide-physical-digital-revenues/ |archive-date=December 4, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> Concord was a rapidly expanding music business closely partnered with UMG since its transformation into Concord Music Group in 2004<ref name="BV">{{cite interview |last=Valentine |first=Bob |interviewer=Tim Ingham |title=Concord has $550m in fresh funding, a recent expansion in Australasia and now a new CEO. What's its next move? |publisher=Music Business Worldwide |date=July 27, 2023 |url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/concord-has-550m-in-fresh-funding-a-recent-expansion-in-australasia-and-now-a-new-ceo-whats-its-next-move |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241009062617/https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/concord-has-550m-in-fresh-funding-a-recent-expansion-in-australasia-and-now-a-new-ceo-whats-its-next-move/ |archive-date=October 9, 2024}}</ref> and backed since at least 2000 by J.P. Morgan.<ref>{{cite news |title=Concord Raises $600M for Continued Expansion, Assigned B1/B+ Corporate Ratings |work=Business Wire |date=August 18, 2020 |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200818005101/en/Concord-Raises-600M-for-Continued-Expansion-Assigned-B1B-Corporate-Ratings |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241119165159/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200818005101/en/Concord-Raises-600M-for-Continued-Expansion-Assigned-B1B-Corporate-Ratings |archive-date=November 19, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was the first music company to perform an asset-backed securitization, led by Apollo Global Management, in December 2022. Its assets consisted of over 1 million copyrights to music older than 18 months.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stassen |first=Murray |title=Concord prices $1.8bn bond offering backed by over 1m music copyrights |work=Music Business Worldwide |date=December 8, 2022 |url=https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/concord-prices-1-8bn-bond-offering-backed-by-over-1m-music-copyrights |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103172929/https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/concord-prices-1-8bn-bond-offering-backed-by-over-1m-music-copyrights/ |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Arroyo |first1=Carmen |last2=Williams |first2=Charles E. |title=Apollo to Lead Bond Sale Tied to Phil Collins, R.E.M. Royalties |work=Bloomberg News |date=November 29, 2022 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-29/apollo-to-sell-bonds-backed-by-phil-collins-r-e-m-royalties |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260201172226/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-29/apollo-to-sell-bonds-backed-by-phil-collins-r-e-m-royalties |archive-date=February 1, 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to its CEO Bob Valentine, Concord derived about 85% of its revenue "from catalog, rather than newly developed, music". As Valentine stated in his first interview, "The phenomenon of artists' IP has never been more liquid; it is now a real and proven asset class. Investment bankers are focused on it, financiers are financing it, and then there's entities like us, that know how to buy rights, but also know how to manage them and have the relationships to do so."<ref name="BV" /> The share of catalog music in total album equivalent consumption in the United States rose from 62.8% to 72.6% between 2019 and 2023.<ref>{{citation |last=Richter |first=Felix |title=New Music Plays Second Fiddle to Catalog Titles |work=Statista |date=February 23, 2024 |url=https://www.statista.com/chart/27679/current-versus-catalog-music-in-total-album-consumption-in-the-us/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241203045911/https://www.statista.com/chart/27679/current-versus-catalog-music-in-total-album-consumption-in-the-us/ |archive-date=December 3, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>
The publishers are seeking statutory damages for nearly 4,142 songs named in the suit, with a maximum possible fine of $621 million.<ref name="Blistein" /> The Internet Archive has argued that the primitive sound quality of the original recordings falls within the doctrine of "fair use" to digitize for preservation, that the number of downloads is so small it has almost no impact on the publishers' revenue, and over 95% of the collection is not readily available anywhere else.<ref name="Blistein" /> The plaintiffs said in response, "if ever there were a theory of fair use invented for litigation, this is it."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://completemusicupdate.com/internet-archives-crackle-based-fair-use-defence-in-copyright-case-is-perverted-say-labels/|title=Internet Archive's crackle based 'fair use' defence in copyright case is perverted, say labels|publisher=Complete Music Update|access-date=15 April 2024|date=23 February 2024|first=Chris|last=Cooke|archive-date=March 26, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326230940/https://completemusicupdate.com/internet-archives-crackle-based-fair-use-defence-in-copyright-case-is-perverted-say-labels/|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a legal source at Mayer Brown, the music publishers' case could be challenged as unconstitutional, since the granting of copyright to pre-1972 works in the MMA only benefitted record companies without having a systemic effect.<ref name="MIP" />
Both parties submitted requests to drop the case on September 15, 2025, after reaching undisclosed settlement terms.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blistein |first1=Jon |title=Internet Archive and Major Labels Settle $621 Million Copyright Lawsuit |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/internet-archive-labels-settle-great-78-copyright-lawsuit-1235427887/ |website=rollingstone.com |date=September 15, 2025 |publisher=Rolling Stone |access-date=17 September 2025 |archive-date=September 16, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250916142128/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/internet-archive-labels-settle-great-78-copyright-lawsuit-1235427887/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The case was officially dropped as requested in October 2025.<ref>{{Cite court|litigants=UMG Recordings, Inc. v. Internet Archive|opinion=Case 3:23-cv-06522-MMC|court=United States District Court for the Northern District of California|date=2025-10-16|url=https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68101636/184/umg-recordings-inc-v-internet-archive/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251124022518/https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68101636/184/umg-recordings-inc-v-internet-archive/|archive-date=2025-11-24|url-status=live}}</ref>
== See also == {{portal|Internet|History}} <!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order & add a short description per WP:SEEALSO. --> {{div col|colwidth=15em}} * List of online image archives * Public domain music {{div col end}} <!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order. -->
=== Similar projects === <!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order & add a short description per WP:SEEALSO. --> {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * archive.today * Internet Memory Foundation * LibriVox * National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP) * National Digital Library Program (NDLP) * Project Gutenberg * UK Government Web Archive at The National Archives (United Kingdom) * UK Web Archive * WebCite {{div col end}} <!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order. -->
=== Other === <!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order & add a short description per WP:SEEALSO. --> {{div col|colwidth=15em}} * Anna's Archive * Archive Team * Digital dark age * Digital preservation * Heritrix * Library Genesis * Link rot * Memory hole * PetaBox * Search engine cache {{div col end}} <!-- Please keep entries in alphabetical order. -->
== Notes == {{notelist}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== Further reading == {{library resources box}} * [https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/technology/internet-archive-celebrates-preserving-1-trillion-webpages/article_be666a38-77e3-4fdb-bc8b-8cba93f7ef97.html "Internet Archive relishes its ‘phenomenal, fabulous success story’"] (October 26, 2025) ''San Francisco Examiner'' * {{cite news|author=Kahle, Brewster|url=https://www.archive.org/sciam_article.html|title=Archiving the Internet|work=Scientific America|date=November 1996|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971011050140/https://www.archive.org/sciam_article.html|archive-date=October 11, 1997}} * {{cite web |url=https://blog.archive.org/2013/11/06/scanning-center-fire-please-help-rebuild/|title=Scanning Center Fire – Please Help Rebuild|author=Kahle, Brewster|website=Internet Archive Blogs|date=November 6, 2013|author-link=Brewster Kahle}} * {{cite news |author=Lepore, Jill|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/01/26/cobweb |title=The Cobweb|magazine= The New Yorker|date= January 26, 2015|author-link=Jill Lepore }} * {{cite news |author=Ringmar, Erik|url=https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=401386 |title=Liberate and Disseminate|work=Times Higher Education Supplement|date= April 10, 2008}}
== External links == {{for|help citing the Wayback Machine (an Internet Archive service) on this version of Wikipedia|Help:Using the Wayback Machine|selfref=y}} {{commons category}} * {{official website}} * [https://scholar.archive.org/ Internet Archive Scholar] * {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|943242767}}
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Category:Internet Archive Category:1996 establishments in California Category:1996 in San Francisco Category:501(c)(3) organizations Category:Access to Knowledge movement Category:Articles containing video clips Category:Charities based in California Category:File sharing communities Category:Foundations based in the United States Category:Internet properties established in 1996 Category:Libraries established in 1996 Category:Online archives of the United States Category:Organizations established in 1996 Category:Public libraries in California<!-- See https://archive.org/iathreads/post-view.php?id=121377 --> Category:Richmond District, San Francisco Category:Sound archives Category:Tor onion services Category:United States federal depository libraries Category:Web archiving initiatives