Mar 26, 2024 05:00:00

Who is running the mysterious web gyotaku service ``archive.today''?

Archive.today , a web gyotaku service that saves a copy of the specified URL on an external server and allows access even if the page is deleted, is compatible with other web gyotaku services such as Wayback Machine. However, the operator has not been disclosed. Yanni Patocario , who works on Google's cloud team, delves into this mystery on his blog Gyrovague .

archive.today: On the trail of the mysterious guerrilla archivist of the Internet – Gyrovague
https://gyrovague.com/2023/08/05/archive-today-on-the-trail-of-the-mysterious-guerrilla-archivist-of-the-internet/

The web Gyotaku service archive.today differs from other web Gyotaku services in that it supports downloading in ZIP format and also allows you to save pages as images. Another feature is that pages are never deleted, with some exceptions such as child pornography.

Internet Archive, which operates Wayback Machine, a representative web gyotaku service, is a non-profit organization with a budget of $37 million (approximately 5.5 billion yen) as of 2019 and 169 full-time employees. On the other hand, details such as the staff who operate archive.today have not been disclosed at all, and it is shrouded in mystery.

According to Patocario, there is a record that a person named 'Denis Petrov' from Prague, Czech Republic

acquired the domain of 'archive.is', the predecessor of archive.today, on May 16, 2012. thing. Petrov has since acquired various variations of the domain, including archive.li, archive.ec, and archive.vn.

However, the name 'Denis Petrov' is a common name in Russian, and it is difficult to identify Mr. Petrov, who acquired the domain.

Still, Patocario points out, ``archive.today's web presence leaves behind various clues to identify the operator.'' In fact, the archive.today

questions page states that archive.today's development base is located in Europe and that they are asking for donations in euros, and the official blog states that they are German speakers. Certain signs have been confirmed. On the other hand , cases using Russian have also been confirmed, and it has also been pointed out that archive.today's analysis engine uses a Russian-made one.

Additionally, previous research has confirmed that the profile image of the account once used by archive.today to archive LinkedIn content matches that of a person named 'Masha Rabinovich' who lives in Berlin, Germany. Masu. According to Mr. Patocario, the name ``Masha'' is a translation of ``Maria'' into Russian, and is also the same as the Hebrew ``Moses.'' Also, the family name 'Rabinovich' is a surname often seen among Ashkenazi Jews.

Additionally, archive.today's initial GitHub account was linked to an account called Volth , which heavily uses the Linux distribution NixOS . It is also reported that this 'Volth' used the same profile image as 'Masha Rabinovich'.

In addition, PayPal donations, which were previously available, have stopped since 2022, suggesting that archive.today's operators are located in Russia. In addition, the operator of archive.today complains that ``the iron curtain covering Russia makes it difficult to accept cross-border donations.''

Mr. Patocario said, ``I don't know his real name or face, but it seems that archive.today is run by a Russian man with considerable talent.The operators of archive.today maintain anonymity and keep a low profile.'' This has allowed us to avoid legal battles over copyright and other issues.However, as operating costs continue to rise year by year and it becomes increasingly difficult to accept donations, archive.today is facing a crisis. ” he pointed out.

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