Since May 2025, the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine has experienced a critical 87% drop in archiving news websites, reducing snapshots from 1.2 million (Jan–May 2025) to just 148,628 (May–Oct 2025). This severe decline threatens the historical integrity of digital archives, particularly for news domains, raising concerns about permanent data loss of public records. The issue stems from operational failures (e.g., indexing delays, resource misallocation) compounded by financial strain the nonprofit spent $32.7M in 2023 but earned only $23M, diverting funds to legal battles (e.g., lawsuits from publishers like Hachette, Penguin Random House over digital lending and music labels for the Great 78 Project). Prior disruptions include a massive data breach (Oct 2024), forcing weeks-long downtime and a subsequent cyberattack. The legal pressure and funding shortages directly hinder core archiving capabilities, risking irreversible gaps in global web history preservation.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/internet-archive
"id": "int1932219102725",
"linkid": "internet-archive",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "6/2023",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization’s existence"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Global users of Wayback Machine '
'(researchers, journalists, '
'general public)',
'industry': 'Digital Library/Archiving',
'location': 'San Francisco, California, USA',
'name': 'Internet Archive',
'type': 'Non-profit organization'}],
'customer_advisories': ['Statements via media (Nieman Lab, Mashable)'],
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': 'Unconfirmed (for 2025); confirmed in '
'October 2024 breach',
'file_types_exposed': ['Web page snapshots',
'Potentially databases (2024)'],
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Possible (2024 '
'breach)',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'Moderate to High (historical records; '
'potential PII in 2024 breach)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Historical web snapshots (news '
'sites)',
'Potentially user data (2024 '
'incident)']},
'date_detected': '2025-05-17',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-10-01',
'description': "Depuis mai 2025, la Wayback Machine de l'Internet Archive a "
'enregistré une baisse de 87 % des instantanés archivés pour '
"100 grands sites d'actualité, passant de 1,2 million (1er "
'janvier - 15 mai 2025) à 148 628 (17 mai - 1er octobre 2025). '
'Ce déclin coïncide avec des problèmes techniques '
"(dysfonctionnements d'indexation, allocation de ressources) "
'et une pression juridique accrue liée à des litiges avec des '
'éditeurs (Hachette, Wiley, Penguin Random House) et des '
"labels discographiques (projet 'Great 78'). L'organisation, "
'déjà en déficit financier (32,7M$ de dépenses vs 23M$ de '
'revenus en 2023), a également subi une fuite de données '
'massive en octobre 2024, entraînant des interruptions '
'prolongées de service.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'High (concerns over historical record '
'completeness and reliability)',
'data_compromised': ['Historical web snapshots (news sites)',
'Potential user data (from 2024 breach)'],
'downtime': ['Weeks (after October 2024 breach)',
'Partial degradation since May 2025'],
'legal_liabilities': ['Ongoing lawsuits from publishers '
'(Controlled Digital Lending)',
'Lawsuits from record labels (Great 78 '
'Project)',
'Potential regulatory scrutiny'],
'operational_impact': '87% reduction in archived snapshots for '
'news sites; delayed indexation of 5+ months',
'systems_affected': ['Wayback Machine',
'Internet Archive main website']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (unresolved archiving decline; 2024 breach '
'investigated but details scarce)',
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Planned addition of '
'missing snapshots',
'Unspecified operational '
'adjustments'],
'root_causes': ['Technical failures (indexation '
'issues)',
'Resource allocation constraints',
'Legal pressures diverting funds',
'Financial deficit (32.7M expenses '
'vs 23M revenue in 2023)']},
'references': [{'source': 'Nieman Lab'}, {'source': 'Mashable'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': ['Lawsuits from publishers '
'(Hachette, Wiley, Penguin Random '
'House)',
'Lawsuits from record labels '
'(Great 78 Project)']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Statements to Nieman Lab/Mashable',
'No official link between archiving '
'decline and legal pressures'],
'containment_measures': ['Restoration of services after 2024 '
'breach',
'Planned addition of missing snapshots '
'(per Mark Graham)'],
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes (for 2024 breach; '
'unclear for 2025 archiving '
'decline)',
'recovery_measures': ['Site restoration after weeks (post-2024 '
'breach)',
'Unspecified fixes for indexation issues']},
'title': "Déclin significatif de l'archivage des pages web par l'Internet "
'Archive (Wayback Machine)',
'type': ['Service Degradation', 'Data Leak', 'Operational Disruption']}