Thousands of government web pages have been taken down in recent weeks under the Trump administration, erasing information on key topics such as sexual orientation, January 6 cases, and discrimination. However, the Wayback Machine, a digital archive operated by the nonprofit Internet Archive, is working to preserve these lost pages.
Since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, federal agencies have removed a significant amount of online content to comply with executive orders. Pages deleted include resources from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Justice Department information on the January 6 Capitol breach, transgender healthcare guidance on Healthcare.gov, and discrimination policies from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Census Bureau. While some pages were restored following a federal judge’s order, many remain offline.
Presidential administrations frequently modify government websites, but experts say the scale of removals this time is unprecedented. Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine, noted that the number of deleted pages appears greater than in past transitions.
The Wayback Machine has long played a crucial role in preserving online records, allowing users to access archived versions of web pages dating back to 1996. Users can enter a URL and view past snapshots, while its web crawlers continuously capture and save data.
Digital preservation experts stress the importance of archiving government data. Rebecca Frank, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Information, emphasized that while urgency is heightened now, the need to safeguard public records has always existed. Organizations such as the Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI) and Harvard Law Library Innovation Center have also been working to protect and restore critical federal data.
The disappearance of online content is a growing concern. A Pew Research report found that 38% of web pages from 2013 were no longer accessible a decade later, and one in five government websites contains broken links. Unlike physical records, digital content can easily be modified or erased, making archiving efforts essential.
As government agencies continue to remove web pages, independent archives like the Wayback Machine remain vital in preserving historical records and ensuring public access to critical information.
