So, What’s The Big Deal About Archive.today?
I’m sure you’ve heard of Archive.today – it’s a web archiving service that’s super useful for accessing content that’s otherwise inaccessible behind paywalls. I mean, who doesn’t love getting around those pesky paywalls, right? But, apparently, Wikipedia editors have decided to remove all links to Archive.today, and it’s got me wondering – what’s going on?
A Little Background On Archive.today
So, Archive.today – which also operates under several other domain names, including archive.is and archive.ph – has been linked to over 695,000 times across Wikipedia. That’s a ton of links, if you ask me! And, it’s not just about accessing paywalled content – it’s also useful for Wikipedia citations. But, I guess that’s not enough to save it from getting blacklisted.
The Alleged DDoS Attack – What Happened?
According to the Wikipedia discussion page, Archive.today was involved in a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on blogger Jani Patokallio. Apparently, users who loaded the archive’s CAPTCHA page were unknowingly loading and executing JavaScript that sent a search request to Patokallio’s Gyrovague blog. That’s some shady stuff, if you ask me! And, it’s not the first time Archive.today has been blacklisted – it was previously blacklisted in 2013, but was removed from the blacklist in 2016.
So, Why The Change Of Heart?
The discussion page says that Wikipedia shouldn’t direct its readers towards a website that hijacks users’ computers to run a DDoS attack. And, get this – there’s also evidence that Archive.today’s operators have altered the content of archived pages, rendering it unreliable. That’s a major no-no, if you ask me! I mean, who wants to cite a source that’s been tampered with?
What Does This Mean For You And Me?
So, what does this mean for us? Well, for starters, it means we can’t use Archive.today as a source for Wikipedia citations anymore. And, it’s also a reminder to be careful when using web archiving services – you never know what might be lurking in the shadows. But, let’s be real – this isn’t the end of the world. There are plenty of other web archiving services out there that we can use.
Is This A Game-Changer?
I don’t think this is a game-changer, per se. I mean, it’s not like Archive.today was the only web archiving service out there. But, it does make you think – what other services might be engaging in shady behavior? And, how can we trust the sources we use? It’s a tough question, but one that we need to consider.
So, What’s Next?
So, what’s next? Well, for starters, Wikipedia editors will be removing all links to Archive.today. And, who knows – maybe this will lead to a bigger conversation about web archiving services and their role in our online ecosystem. But, one thing’s for sure – this is a reminder to always be careful when using online services, and to never take anything at face value.
