Why the Wayback Machine Matters More Than Ever Right Now
If you’ve ever clicked a broken link and landed on an old version of a website, you’ve likely used the Wayback Machine — the tool millions rely on to see what the internet used to look like. It’s part of the Internet Archive, a nonprofit that’s been preserving digital content since 1996, operating out of an old church in San Francisco.
Every day, the Wayback Machine captures about a billion URLs, archiving everything from government websites and news stories to books and academic papers. This work is becoming more critical as more online information disappears without warning.
Since President Trump’s return to office, entire sections of federal websites have vanished — especially pages on climate change, diversity, gender identity, and reproductive health. According to Wayback Machine director Mark Graham, over 73,000 pages have already been tracked and archived after being wiped from government sites.
For example, a detailed timeline from the Jan. 6 investigation is no longer available on official channels — but you can still find it on the Wayback Machine.
This all ties into a bigger issue: link rot. A 2023 Pew study found that 38% of web pages from 2013 are no longer accessible. Wikipedia is full of dead links, but the Wayback Machine has stepped in to rescue over 23 million of them.
“We’re building our culture on shifting sands,” said Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle.
Despite lawsuits and cyberattacks threatening the archive’s future, this machine remains a lifeline for journalists, researchers, and the public. It’s one of the last tools keeping deleted or altered online content accessible.
This machine isn’t just for nostalgia — it’s a vital safeguard for digital history.
