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The most disturbing news story I've read all year
40hz:
I reckon we have the technology and the opportunity to create our own Hall of Records for the future, but Archive.org probably won't be able to cut the mustard if the knowledge is progressively and relentlessly deliberately destroyed/expunged from it by people intent on covering the truth of their shame or criminal/political intent or propaganda, or whatever.
-IainB (November 20, 2013, 02:28 AM)
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FWIW, it's my understanding that the Internet Archive's willingness to remove information from their collection 'on request' was largely motivated by the desire to avoid any legal challenges to their scraping content - even though I'm pretty sure they could make a successful argument for 'fair use' under US Law if somebody actually did go after them.
Beware those killer rabbits I suppose....
Don't you think this policy has an almost Pythonesque ring to it...to wit:
When danger reared its ugly head
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
Yes Brave Sir Robin turned about
And gallantly he chickened out.
Yea bravely taking to his feet
He beat a very brave retreat!
Bravest of the brave - Sir Robin!
(With thanks to M.P ;D)
IainB:
...FWIW, it's my understanding that the Internet Archive's willingness to remove information from their collection 'on request' was largely motivated by the desire to avoid any legal challenges to their scraping content - even though I'm pretty sure they could make a successful argument for 'fair use' under US Law if somebody actually did go after them.
-40hz (November 20, 2013, 05:21 AM)
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Yes, absolutely.
Unless and until they changed their charter to some different principles, they cannot be anything else other than "...the apparently less permanent/reliable archive".
An archive is generally only of any use if the stuff you would reasonably expect to have been safely stored in it is actually reliably and consistently available/accessible when you go looking to access it.
Otherwise, as I said, "What's the point?"
40hz:
There was a time when certain newspapers were thought of as the paper "of record." The New York Times used to be considered one.
Unfortunately, even the NYT has begun the practice of unacknowledged edits to published news articles after the fact on their website. And I've been given to understand most other major newspapers also do so.
No wonder our politicos see the world as just one more manifestation of the virtual reality they apparently dwell in. With no fixed record of the past, the present and future are perpetually up for grabs and subject to change without notice.
Very 1984-ish that. Or mystical since many mystic traditions consider everything to be illusion. Nice to see the 'guardians' of the historic record are doing so much (by doing so little) to make it that way.
Sorry if I come across being narked about the IA. It only looks that way because I am. >:(
Stoic Joker:
No wonder our politicos see the world as just one more manifestation of the virtual reality they apparently dwell in. With no fixed record of the past, the present and future are perpetually up for grabs and subject to change without notice.-40hz (November 20, 2013, 11:01 AM)
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And while those in power can easily tailor their own historical "truth" as needed, the people beneath them are stringently held hostage by emaculate records of their every waking hour to be sure that at all points they both can and will be held accountable for the merest of miss-steps.
Yeah...that's just a teensy bit one-sided me thinks.
40hz:
Yeah...that's just a teensy bit one-sided me thinks.
-Stoic Joker (November 20, 2013, 12:08 PM)
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Yup. I think that's called: "Business as usual!" IIRC.
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