The Internet Archive is a San Francisco nonprofit digital library with the stated mission of “universal access to all knowledge”
Also known as the “Wayback Machine,” it provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including web sites, software applications/games, music, movies/videos, moving images, and nearly three million public-domain books.
Many domain investors research its archives when looking up domain names; at the same time, WIPO panelists use it to confirm or dispel issues brought forth during UDRP filings.
As of October 2016, its digital collection topped 15 petabytes. Additionally, the Internet Archive functions as an activist organization, advocating for a free and open Internet.
Currently, the Internet Archive is seeking donations, as it relies on such contributions for its continuing existence.
“Dear Wayback Machine Patrons: You’ve come to the Wayback Machine searching for parts of the Web you may have lost. For 20 years, we’ve backed you up. Now we need your help in return. Will you help sustain this memory for the Web? The Internet Archive is a non-profit library built on trust. Our mission: to give everyone free and universal access to all knowledge, forever. The Internet Archive has only 150 staff but runs the #250 website in the world. Reader privacy is very important to us, so we don’t sell your personal information. We don’t accept ads. But we still need to pay for servers, staff and rent. That’s where you can help. Right now a generous supporter will match your donation 1-for-1. So you can double your impact! The key is to keep improving, and keep it free. If you find our site useful, please give what you can today. Thank you. “
The Internet Archive allows the public to upload and download digital material to its data cluster; the bulk of its data is collected automatically by its web crawlers, which work to preserve as much of the public web as possible – currently, over 150 billion web captures exist!
Donations can be as little as $1 dollar. To contribute, visit this page.
