What's Happening?
Wikipedia editors have decided to blacklist Archive.today, a web archiving service, due to allegations of its involvement in a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. Archive.today, which operates under various domain names, is widely used to access
content behind paywalls and has been linked over 695,000 times on Wikipedia. The decision to blacklist the service follows claims that Archive.today hijacked users' computers to execute a DDoS attack against blogger Jani Patokallio. Additionally, there are concerns about the reliability of Archive.today, as evidence suggests that its operators have altered archived page content. This move marks a reversal from a previous decision in 2016 to remove Archive.today from the blacklist.
Why It's Important?
The blacklisting of Archive.today by Wikipedia is significant as it impacts how information is accessed and cited on the platform. Archive.today has been a valuable tool for bypassing paywalls and preserving web content, making it a crucial resource for Wikipedia editors and users. The allegations of DDoS attacks and content alteration raise concerns about the integrity and security of web archiving services. This decision could influence other platforms and users to reconsider their reliance on Archive.today, potentially affecting the availability of archived content. Furthermore, it highlights the ongoing challenges in ensuring the reliability and security of digital information sources.
What's Next?
Following the blacklisting, Wikipedia editors are tasked with removing links to Archive.today and replacing them with links to original sources or alternative archives like the Wayback Machine. This process may take time given the extensive use of Archive.today links. The situation may prompt discussions within the digital archiving community about best practices and security measures to prevent similar incidents. Archive.today's operators may need to address the allegations and improve transparency to regain trust. The broader implications for web archiving practices and digital content preservation remain to be seen.
