Feb 07, 2025 23:00:00

The Internet Archive is archiving the entire US government website every four years and plans to archive more than 500TB between 2024 and 2025.

The Internet Archive, which runs the archive browsing service

Wayback Machine , is conducting the End of Term Web Archive project, which preserves all U.S. government websites every four years when a presidential term expires. On February 6, 2025, the Internet Archive revealed that it had collected more than 500 TB of material, including over 100 million web pages, between 2024 and 2025.

Update on the 2024/2025 End of Term Web Archive | Internet Archive Blogs
https://blog.archive.org/2025/02/06/update-on-the-2024-2025-end-of-term-web-archive/

End of Term Web Archive | The End of Term Web Archive is a collaborative initiative that collects, preserves, and makes accessible United States Government websites at the end of presidential administrations.
https://eotarchive.org/

The Internet Archive's End of Term Web Archive project aims to capture and preserve all U.S. government websites and social media content at the end of the current presidential administration. To date, the Internet Archive has preserved websites in 2008 ,2012 ,2016 , and2020 .

The End of Term Web Archive preserves government-related websites from the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of government that are at risk of being changed or removed entirely with the change of presidency. Local government websites and some sites that do not use government domains are not included in the archive.

With the end of the former President Joe Biden administration on January 20, 2025, various organizations , including the Internet Archive, have begun preserving websites as they have done in the past. Websites that the Internet Archive and others have determined should be preserved can be viewed below, and at the time of writing, 11,311 URLs have been registered.

Nomination Tool: Project URL Nomination
https://digital2.library.unt.edu/nomination/eth2024/

Below is a list of files that will be stored in the End of Term Web Archive. It is also possible to save

entire datasets at once, including past End of Term Web Archive projects.
・HTML file
- Image files (JPEG, PNG, GIF)
・PDF file
・Spreadsheets (CSV, Excel, etc.)
Video and other multimedia
GeoJSON and other special files

And on February 6, 2025, the Internet Archive reported that 'two-thirds of the process is complete, and more than 500TB of material containing more than 100 million web pages has been collected.' Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine, said, 'It is critical that the public has access to government records and achievements at any time. Many of the materials released by the government have health, safety, security, education, and other benefits for all citizens.'

To view content preserved as part of the End of Term Web Archive for 2024, open the drop-down menu in the 'Collection Search' section on the Wayback Machine homepage and click 'End Of Term (US Gov 2024).'

Enter a keyword, such as the name of a government agency, or a URL and click 'SEARCH.'

A list of web pages will be displayed, and you can view the saved page by clicking on the desired page.

The Internet Archive said, 'Web archives are not just about preserving history, but about ensuring access to information for future generations. The End of Term Web Archive helps protect government websites that might otherwise be lost. By preserving this information and making it accessible, the End of Term Web Archive allows researchers, journalists, and citizens to track the evolution of government policies and decisions.'