The Internet Archive looks to immigrate to Canada
There’s no telling if many Americans will actually try to move north once Donald Trump is inaugurated in January, but if fundraising efforts go well, Canada can start planning a welcome party for the group behind the popular Wayback Machine.
The Internet Archive wants to create a copy of its digital collection for safekeeping in Canada in case any new restrictions on the web are part of President Trump’s plan to “make America great again.”
The Internet Archive maintains a seemingly bottomless collection of most every web page that has appeared online going back to the early days of the internet. Searchable using the Wayback machine, users can get access to old versions of web sites and pages, warts and all. Their statement opens:
“The history of libraries is one of loss. The Library of Alexandria is best known for its disappearance. Libraries like ours are susceptible to different fault lines: Earthquakes, Legal regimes, Institutional failure.”
“On November 9th in America, we woke up to a new administration promising radical change. It was a firm reminder that institutions like ours, built for the long-term, need to design for change,” a statement released Tuesday explains
The Internet Archive is requesting donations in order to raise the millions of dollars it says they need to make a copy of its collection to store on servers located in Canada. A specific fundraising goal, or potential budgetary breakdown, for the move has not yet been announced.
The impetus for the attempt to create an Internet Archive backup in Canada is fears of restrictions Trump may introduce to internet content. “For us, it means keeping our cultural materials safe, private and perpetually accessible. It means preparing for a Web that may face greater restrictions,” the Internet Archive statement reads. “It means serving patrons in a world in which government surveillance is not going away; indeed it looks like it will increase.”
Trump did not discuss telecom policy much during his campaign, but he has indicated that he would loosen up libel laws as well as close “that internet up in some way” to prevent online ISIS recruitment. He also opposes net neutrality.
A spokesperson from the Internet Archive did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
