Internet Without a History: Accident or Planned Action?

Cases of internet censorship have become so frequent that they are almost seen as the norm. While legal battles continue and public attention to these issues grows, major social networks are tightening their control over content. Podcasters and video creators know which materials will be immediately removed and discuss among themselves how to avoid being blocked. Some, including Brownstone, have already left YouTube in favor of alternative platforms like Rumble, sacrificing access to a broad audience but preserving the ability to publish their content.

Today, automated moderation systems use not only direct censorship methods but also more complex algorithms that affect the search visibility of content. For example, Joe Rogan’s interview with Donald Trump garnered a staggering 34 million views before YouTube and Google changed search settings, making it harder to find. Some users were even temporarily unable to play the video. In response, Rogan posted the full three-hour episode on X, avoiding further restrictions.

These new measures aimed at controlling the spread of information have become part of the daily routine for independent and alternative media. Beyond the high-profile cases, technical changes are making it harder for historians and researchers to track the development of events. Archive.org, known as the “memory of the internet,” for the first time in 30 years has stopped recording internet content in real time. Since October 8, 2024, due to a massive “denial of service” (DDOS) attack, the service has practically ceased to function and now operates only in read-only mode for already saved data.

Currently, Archive.org is not publicly mirroring new content. For the first time since the creation of web browsers, researchers have lost the ability to compare current and past content—a tool they used to analyze statements and actions of governments and corporations. This made it possible to document changing recommendations from organizations like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). For example, researchers could track the CDC’s positions on plexiglass, air filtration systems, mail-in voting, and eviction moratoriums, which were later removed from their website. Now, that’s no longer possible.

This means any website can publish information and then delete it without leaving a trace, unless users manage to take a screenshot. Even then, verifying the authenticity of a screenshot is not easy. Without Archive.org and Google Cache, the standard approach to documenting “who, what, and when” simply disappears. Essentially, the entire internet is under real censorship, and in these critically important weeks before the election, there is no reliable way to record changes.

It’s been three weeks since the attack on Archive.org, but public access to new content has still not been restored. This is critical, as the U.S. elections on November 5 promise to be among the most tense and significant in recent years. At this point, there is no way to verify or recover content published online since early October.

Because of this, many are questioning whether what happened was just a coincidence. Against the backdrop of other changes on the internet, Archive.org’s halt of new data recording looks suspicious. Recently, the organization confirmed that in addition to the DDOS attack, attackers gained access to encrypted passwords and users’ email addresses, and also altered JavaScript on the site. In response, Archive.org staff temporarily disabled site access to improve security. The organization claims that all archived data remains safe and the team continues to work on restoring services.

At the same time, Google Cache—another tool that allowed users to access cached versions of pages—has completely stopped working. This happened just a few weeks before the attack on Archive.org, raising even more suspicion. Now, the two largest tools for storing and analyzing archived data have become unavailable at a critical moment. Officially, Google Cache ceased operation at the end of September 2024, leaving researchers unable to view old versions of pages.

Additionally, Google’s search algorithms have recently changed, now increasingly favoring “trusted sources” as defined by the company itself. Previously, search was based on organic factors like links and user behavior, but now the focus is on “approved” sources, making it harder to access independent data. In other words, internet search is becoming more controlled, pushing out alternative viewpoints.

Restrictions on access to archives at Archive.org and Google Cache not only complicate research but also create “black holes” in the memory of the internet. In an environment where trust in information is declining, the loss of archiving tools makes the internet less transparent and open. This deprives society of the ability to verify claims, threatening the very foundation of internet freedom established at its inception.