Internet Archive Heads To Canada To Be 'Safe'
Fri, 12/02/2016 - 9:02am
by Phys.org

The Internet Archive, which keeps historical records of Web pages, is creating a new backup center in Canada, citing concerns about surveillance following the US presidential election of Donald Trump.

"On November 9 in America, we woke up to a new administration promising radical change. It was a firm reminder that institutions like ours, built for the long term, need to design for change," said a blog post from Brewster Kahle, founder and digital librarian at the organization.

"For us, it means keeping our cultural materials safe, private and perpetually accessible. It means preparing for a Web that may face greater restrictions."

Kahle said the center would begin raising funds to establish a copy of the archive in Canada, citing the principle that "lots of copies keep stuff safe."

The goal will be to operate "in a world in which government surveillance is not going away; indeed it looks like it will increase," he said.

While Trump has announced no new digital policies, his campaign comments have raised concerns his administration would be more active on government surveillance and less sensitive to civil liberties.

Shelly