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The Internet Archive Is Building a Canadian Copy To Protect Itself From Trump (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the backup dept.

The Internet Archive, a digital library nonprofit that preserves billions of webpages for the historical record, is building a backup archive in Canada after the election of Donald Trump. The Verge adds: Today, it began collecting donations for the Internet Archive of Canada, intended to create a copy of the archive outside the United States. "On November 9th in America, we woke up to a new administration promising radical change," writes founder Brewster Kahle. "It was a firm reminder that institutions like ours, built for the long-term, need to design for change. For us, it means keeping our cultural materials safe, private and perpetually accessible. It means preparing for a web that may face greater restrictions. It means serving patrons in a world in which government surveillance is not going away; indeed it looks like it will increase."

7 of 590 comments (clear)

  1. Well then... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It means serving patrons in a world in which government surveillance is not going away; indeed it looks like it will increase.
     
    Why didn't they start this years ago when Obama extended and expanded the Patriot Act? Sounds like more leftist hypocrisy and hyperbole to me.

    1. Re:Well then... by butchersong · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It is simply a marketing tactic. Canada is not exactly an ideal spot to locate such a backup in any case given their hate speech legislation and tactic of slapping very heavy fines on people who might have offended one of an infinite number of gender pronoun protected groups.

  2. Re:Valid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm firm believer in backups, so Awesome!

    But where were these concerns about "government surveillance" not going away when Pres. Obama was expanding them rather than ending them like he promised in his first campaign.

  3. Re:Only now? by Kierthos · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Considering that the orange idiot thinks that burning a U.S. flag merits prison time or loss of citizenship, I'd say it's a given that he has a low regard for constitutional rights.

    --
    Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
  4. Re:Valid by NatasRevol · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You sound a lot like the winner. Who's ranted against free speech, and freedom of the press. And that's just this week.

    --
    There are two types of people in the world: Those who crave closure
  5. Re: Valid by MouseR · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He's elected president. Not dictator.

    Someone needs to remind him during his discourses.

  6. Re: Valid by Verdatum · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Lincoln didn't have the power to suspend Habeas Corpus. Roosevelt didn't have the power to send American citizens of Japanese-decent to internment camps.

    Honestly, even if Trump wasn't elected, this is still a very good idea. The Internet Archive is one of the most important sources of information ever created. I think we should put a copy of it on every continent at the very least.