Wikipedia Editors Implement Decision to Deprecate Archive.today Over Alleged DDoS Attacks and Content Manipulation
Wikipedia editors have announced the decision to remove all links to web archiving service Archive.today due to concerns over distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and content manipulation. The service, which also operates under domains such as archive.is and archive.ph, has been used extensively across the online encyclopedia for accessing paywalled content and as a source for Wikipedia citations.
The decision comes after a consensus was reached on the Wikipedia discussion page regarding Archive.today, stating that it should be immediately deprecated and added to the spam blacklist, with all existing links removed. The discussion page also highlights concerns from 2013, when the service was previously blacklisted before being reinstated in 2016.
The primary reasons for this reversal of course are allegations that Archive.today's operators have hijacked users' computers to conduct DDoS attacks, specifically targeting blogger Jani Patokallio. Additionally, evidence has emerged suggesting that the service's operators have manipulated archived content, rendering it unreliable.
In January 2023, Patokallio published a blog post investigating Archive.today, describing its ownership as an "opaque mystery." While he was unable to identify a specific owner, he concluded that the site is likely operated by a Russian individual of significant technical expertise and access to Europe.
The JavaScript code embedded in the CAPTCHA page of Archive.today, according to Patokallio's blog post, sends search requests to his Gyrovague blog, potentially aiming to increase hosting costs. This behavior is believed to have started on January 11, 2023.
The decision by Wikipedia editors to deprecate Archive.today is expected to impact the service's use as a citation source within the online encyclopedia. Further updates regarding this matter will be closely monitored.
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Recently, a dispute between Finnish developer Mikko Patokallio and the webmaster of Archive.today, an internet archive service, emerged. The webmaster requested that Patokallio remove a blog post for a period of two to three months due to mainstream media outlets, such as Heise and The Verge, allegedly misconstruing parts of the post to create disparate narratives citing Archive.today as their primary source.
After Patokallio declined this request, the webmaster reportedly made escalating threats, prompting concerns about the reliability of Archive.today as an archive. Consequently, Wikipedia editors have been advised to eliminate links to Archive.today and similar sites in favor of links to the original sources or alternative archives like the Wayback Machine.
On a blog linked from Archive.today's website, its apparent owner argued that the service provides value to Wikipedia; however, the exact nature of this contention remains unclear.
International digital media platform, Medium, has clarified its stance on recent copyright-related issues, stating that it is not about implementing paywalls, but rather focusing on offloading copyright responsibilities. The company reported that the situation has improved significantly and plans to reduce the frequency of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks.
In a statement, Medium questioned why such events were not previously reported by tabloids. They expressed surprise at the lack of coverage given the dramatic nature of the incidents. The company suggested that perhaps the absence of a "Jani" (implied to be a proactive individual or entity) to prompt them was the reason for the oversight. Despite their expectation that tabloids may not produce positive content due to its potential impact on readership, they felt there was ample drama to report upon.
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