Katherine Maher, President and CEO of NPR, honors the Internet Archive’s milestone of 1 trillion web pages preserved as “1 trillion artifacts and snapshots of our interconnected world.” In her message, Maher celebrates the Archive’s role in protecting the integrity of the open web—keeping news, public discourse, and our shared stories freely accessible to all. She draws parallels between NPR and the Internet Archive, highlighting their shared commitment to access to information, public service, and strengthening societies through knowledge and dialogue. As Maher notes, in an era when information “emerges suddenly, decays rapidly, and disappears instantly,” the Archive’s preservation work is more critical than ever.
“At NPR, we share many common values with the Internet Archive, a deep commitment to access to information, a dedication to public service, and a belief in strengthening societies.”
Katherine Maher, President and CEO of NPR
Hello everyone. I'm Katherine Maher, president and CEO of NPR. It's an honor to join you today in celebrating a truly historic accomplishment and one close to my heart.
Congratulations to the Internet Archive and everyone who contributed to this milestone of 1 trillion webpages. That's 1 trillion artifacts and snapshots of our interconnected world. It's a testament to the Internet Archive's unwavering commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the open web and its history, ensuring that this vast digital record remains free and open for everyone.
At NPR, we share many common values with the Internet Archive, a deep commitment to access to information, a dedication to public service, and a belief in strengthening societies. Through information and dialogue we live today, in an era in which information is unstable, it emerges suddenly decays, rapidly, disappears instantly. It's increasingly difficult for anyone to build stability on this volatility, whether you're an independent learner or society seeking common ground.
So in this moment, the Archive's role in preserving news, public discourse and our shared stories is more critical than ever. The internet is today's living historical record, a cultural mirror reflecting our society, who we are, where we come from, what we perceive matters, how we connect, and how we make sense of ideas, events, and one another.
By preserving this record, the Archive helps us remain grounded in what we know and what we think we believe and accountable to how we change and evolve over time. It supports vital research and allows us to understand current events within a broader context. This preservation counters the challenge of disappearing news and loss, meaning online. It provides us an enduring resource for journalists, scholars, and the public alike. It protects our shared stories and it strengthens our civic dialogue.
So let's all celebrate this incredible milestone together. The Internet Archive and the Wayback Machine are trusted, vital resources, and we at NPR are proud to stand with you in this important work. Thank you. Please keep it up. Keep on keeping on.
Vint Cerf, Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, recognizes the Internet Archive’s achievement of preserving 1 trillion web pages as an essential act of cultural memory. In his message, Cerf emphasizes that without the Archive’s work, “the 22nd century will have no clue what the 21st century was all about.” He offers deep gratitude to founder Brewster Kahle and the Archive’s “amazing crew of talented engineers” for ensuring that the story of our digital age endures.
In the absence of what [Internet Archive has] done, the 22nd century will have no clue what the 21st century was all about.
Vint Cerf, Internet Pioneer
Hello. My name is Vint Cerf and I'm Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, and I've just learned about the incredible milestone of the Internet Archive: 1 trillion webpages.
It has preserved an enormous amount of history over the course of their data collection, something which I feel is absolutely essential. In the absence of what they have done, the 22nd century will have no clue what the 21st century was all about.
And so we owe them an enormous debt of gratitude for having created and executed on this collection. And Brewster Kale, of course, being the founder, deserves enormous credit for that, as does his amazing crew of talented engineers. So congratulations on reaching that milestone. Keep at it. There's more coming.
To help people connect with the Internet Archive’s celebration of 1 trillion web pages preserved, we created “The Web We’ve Built,” a cinematic reflection on how humanity came together to build, shape, and now safeguard the web. From the crackle of a dial-up modem to the galaxy of pages preserved in the Wayback Machine, the film traces our shared journey online—the creativity, connection, challenges, and triumph of building the largest digital library in history, together.
Credits: Written by Chris Freeland Animated and Edited by Freya Morgan Research support by Sterling Dudley
Musician Peter Gabriel reflects on the Internet Archive preserving 1 trillion web pages—a milestone he calls “an extraordinary achievement.” In his message, Gabriel celebrates the Archive’s role in safeguarding humanity’s collective memory and offers congratulations to Sir Tim Berners-Lee, recipient of this year’s Internet Archive Hero Award.
“Humanity is not going to forget…”
Peter Gabriel, musician
Hi, this is Peter Gabriel in London.
What you've achieved with the Internet Archive is a means of recording so many of our memories, now 1 trillion web pages. And so humanity is not going to forget and lose memory and lose themselves in the way that we might've done had you not been there.
It's an extraordinary achievement, and congratulations also to the internet hero, Tim Berners-Lee. Have a brilliant night.Thank you so much for what you do.
Luke Hogg moderates a panel with Brewster Kahle of the Internet Archive, Vint Cerf of Google, Cindy Cohn of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Jon Stokes of Ars Technica on Oct. 27, 2025. (Foundation for American Innovation, Washington D.C.)
At Wayback to the Future: Celebrating the Open Web in Washington D.C., some of the internet’s founding figures gathered to reflect on what went wrong—and what might still be saved.
Hosted by the Foundation for American Innovation in the historic Riggs Library at Georgetown University, the panel brought together Vint Cerf (Google), Cindy Cohn (EFF), Jon Stokes (Ars Technica), and the Internet Archive’s Brewster Kahle.
Watch the discussion:
The conversation, moderated by Luke Hogg, focused on what the group called the “three Cs” behind the web’s decline: centralization, copyright, and competition. While the early web promised connection and creativity, today’s internet, they warned, is increasingly fragmented, paywalled, and dominated by a few powerful platforms.
Speaking beneath shelves of century-old books, Brewster Kahle posed a simple but urgent question: “Do we have these books on the internet anywhere?” His answer—“The truth is paywalled, and the lies are free”—captured the tension at the heart of the conversation.
As libraries and users lose access to information locked behind corporate and legal barriers, Kahle called for a renewed commitment to an open, decentralized web: “Let’s have a game with many winners.”
The Internet Archive, now having preserved over one trillion webpages, continues to model that vision by building a more resilient, distributed digital library—one where knowledge remains accessible to all.
Brewster Kahle (left) with California State Senator Scott Wiener (right), October 22, 2025.
On October 22, California State Senator Scott Wiener joined the 1 trillion celebration to recognize Internet Archive’s “remarkable innovation and leadership.”
Speaking from the stage, Senator Wiener presented Brewster Kahle with a Certificate of Recognition from the California State Senate, saying:
“We’ve taken a lot of things for granted…And one of the things that I think people took for granted were libraries…In this era of book banning and alternative facts, I am so deeply grateful for the work that this great archive does, and so from the California State Senate, we have a token of our appreciation, just to say a basic, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you’…”
Watch remarks:
Certificate of Recognition
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Senate
CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION
Internet Archive The Web We've Built Celebration
I present you with this Certificate of Recognition in honor of archiving one trillion web pages. This milestone achieved with the Wayback Machine reflects remarkable innovation and leadership. Your digital accomplishment will benefit diverse users for generations to come. Thank you for providing free access to this invaluable archive and may you continue to thrive in the years to come.
Scott Wiener Senator, 11th District October 22, 2025
Brewster Kahle (left), Internet Archive’s founder and digital librarian, presents Sir Tim Berners-Lee (right), inventor of the World Wide Web, with the Internet Archive Hero Award during a discussion hosted by the Commonwealth Club of California.
In celebrating 1 trillion web pages archived, the Internet Archive is proud to honor the visionary who made it all possible. As announced in The New Yorker, the 2025 Internet Archive Hero Award was presented to Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web. Sir Tim’s groundbreaking work opened the door to a connected world and laid the foundation for our shared digital history.
Sir Tim was presented the award during a discussion at the Commonwealth Club of California on October 9. The conversation, “Building and Preserving the Web: A Conversation with Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Brewster Kahle,” was guided by Lauren Goode (Wired), and is now available for listening & download as an episode of the Future Knowledge podcast.
Listen to Sir Tim Berners-Lee and Brewster Kahle:
Sir Tim’s invention transformed how humanity shares knowledge, and his ongoing advocacy for an open and accessible web that empowers individuals continues to inspire us. We’re thrilled to recognize his enduring contributions as we mark this historic achievement for the web.
Watch the video from our celebration on October 22:
The Internet Archive Hero Award is an annual award that recognizes those who have exhibited leadership in making information available for digital learners all over the world. Previous recipients have included the island nation of Aruba, public information advocate Carl Malamud, copyright expert Michelle Wu, and the Grateful Dead.
On October 21, 2025, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a unanimous resolution from Supervisor Connie Chan celebrating 1 trillion web pages archived, and declaring October 22, 2025, as Internet Archive Day in the City and County of San Francisco.
Watch Supervisor Chan’s speech designating Internet Archive Day at the Board of Supervisors meeting:
Mark Graham (Internet Archive), Supervisor Connie Chan (Board of Supervisors, District 1), and Brewster Kahle (Internet Archive) at the Board of Supervisors public meeting, October 21, 2025.
Before the Board meeting, Internet Archive supporters gathered on the steps of City Hall for a rally, which included remarks from:
As the Internet Archive celebrates the milestone of 1 trillion web pages preserved, the City’s recognition underscores a shared commitment to safeguarding knowledge for future generations. From the steps of City Hall to the vast reaches of the digital web, Internet Archive Day honors the collective effort to build — and preserve — a library for all.
Brewster KahleSwilk, artist in residenceSupervisor Connie ChanCity Librarian Michael Lambert
Brewster Kahle, Senator Alex Padilla, and Lila Bailey in Washington, D.C. October 28, 2025.
On October 28, 2025, Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) entered into the Congressional Record a statement honoring the Internet Archive for reaching a historic milestone—preserving one trillion web pages. That same day, Senator Padilla met with Internet Archive founder and digital librarian Brewster Kahle, along with policy counsel Lila Bailey, to mark the occasion and discuss the importance of long-term access to public information.
RECOGNIZING THE INTERNET ARCHIVE’S ONE-TRILLIONTH WEB PAGE; Congressional Record Vol. 171, No. 179 (Senate – October 28, 2025)
[Page S7780] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE INTERNET ARCHIVE'S ONE-TRILLIONTH WEB PAGE
Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate an extraordinary milestone in the democratization of public information, as the Internet Archive marks their one-trillionth web page archived. Founded by digital librarian and MIT alumnus Brewster Kahle, the Internet Archive first launched in San Francisco in 1996 with the goal of providing "Universal Access to All Knowledge" by creating a "shared digital library of humanity's online history." In 2001, they launched the "Wayback Machine," making their archives easily accessible to the public. Coordinating with governments, nonprofits, institutions, and individuals to grow their digital collection, for nearly three decades, the Internet Archive has worked to preserve everything from academic research to personal blogs, local news stories to international breaking news, and troves of official government records--including the archival of websites from every Presidential administration since 2008. Information from its archives has even been cited by every Circuit Court in the United States and the Supreme Court. Working to prevent and repair broken web links, the Internet Archive has become a modern-day, digital Library of Alexandria and given billions of people the tools that once only professional archivists had at their disposal. On a personal note, earlier this year, it was my honor to help designate the Internet Archive as a Federal depository library, allowing the Internet Archive to digitize and expand public access to Federal Government publications for years to come. For their outstanding commitment to the public good and tireless preservation of public information, today we celebrate San Francisco's own Internet Archive. Here is to the next trillion.
One trillion! There was no mistaking the number that was center stage at the Internet Archive in San Francisco on October 22.
“We are celebrating a major goal of one trillion web pages…shared by people all over the world, wanting to make sure that what they know is passed on,” said Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive’s founder and digital librarian. “It’s a fantastic, phenomenal success story.”
Watch the livestream:
Since 1996, the Wayback Machine has been saving the digital history of the internet. In October, it surpassed the threshold of preserving one trillion web pages—a fact that was met with enthusiastic applause each time it was mentioned at the party held at the non-profit research library’s Funston Avenue headquarters in San Francisco.
People should not take for granted the important role that libraries, including the Internet Archive, have played in compiling accurate information and making it accessible to all, said California State Senator Scott Weiner, who presented a Certificate of Recognition from the State of California Senate to the Internet Archive. “We’re seeing now in this country people trying to rewrite history and come up with alternative facts,” he said at the event. “What the Internet Archive and the Wayback Machine does is to make clear that everything is there. I am so deeply grateful.” [watch remarks]
California State Senator Scott Weiner. Photos by Brad Shirakawa, October 22, 2025.
In a video message, Vint Cerf, creator of the Internet and vice president and chief internet evangelist at Google, said the one-trillion-page mark is an incredible milestone. “[The Internet Archive] has preserved an enormous amount of history over the course of their data collection, something which I feel is absolutely essential,” he said. “In the absence of what they have done, the 22nd century will have no clue what the 21st Century was all about.”
Looking Back, Looking Ahead
The program included a glimpse back at early days of the web and a hopeful vision for the future.
“There was this dream of an internet that was made for us, by us, to be able to make us better people,” Kahle said. “Yes, using technology. Yes, having games with lots of different players and winners—a fun and interesting world, and that is very much still within our grasp.”
Audrey Witters, creator and community builder
Audrey Witters, a veteran of the early web, brought the audience back to 1994—when all existing websites could still fit on a single “What’s New” page. Reflecting on her early days at NCSA and her creative experiments on GeoCities, Witters shared the story of how a small animated alien GIF she helped create became an unlikely icon of the early web. “It’s so important for us to remember that context, that spirit, that joy of creation—what happens when you give people the tools and invitation to publicly and exuberantly celebrate themselves,” she said. Thanking the Internet Archive for preserving that era’s spirit of discovery and collaboration, Witters urged the next generation of creators “to look for new opportunities to promote exploration, collaboration, and joyful expression. Here’s to the next trillion!”
Lily Jamali, BBC News
Lily Jamali, an investigative journalist with BBC News, said she appreciates the Archive’s public service mission and tools that are “absolutely fundamental” to hold the powerful to account. “They help us journalists fact check claims,” she said from the Great Room stage. “They help us see how companies and governments may have selectively edited online materials, or even deleted statements or social media posted that they would rather that the public didn’t see.” [watch remarks]
Journalists can no longer rely on their news outlets to store their work, Jamali said, so many turn to the Wayback Machine to access past articles and inform their reporting.
In a highly entertaining segment full of Wikipedia screen shots and laughs, Annie Rauwerda, creator of Depths of Wikipedia, spoke about the crucial partnership between Wikipedia and the Wayback Machine. She highlighted how archived pages make citations stronger and more durable by ensuring that even when the original source disappears, the evidence remains. “If Wikipedia is worth anything at all, it’s because of the citations,” Rauwerda said.
Annie Rauwerda, Depths of Wikipedia
CEO of National Public Radio Katherine Maher offered her congratulations via video for the event. “One trillion web pages. That’s one trillion artifacts and snapshots of our interconnected world,” she said. “It’s a testament to the Internet Archives’ unwavering commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the open web and its history, ensuring that this vast digital record remains free and open for everyone.”
NPR and the Internet Archive share a deep commitment to providing access to information, a dedication to public service and a belief in strengthening societies through information and dialog, Maher said. “We live today in an era in which information is unstable. It emerges suddenly, decays rapidly, disappears instantly,” she said. “In this moment, the Archive’s role in preserving news, public discourse and our shared stories is more critical than ever.”
With Wayback Machine, ‘Knowledge Will Not Be Lost’
Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine
When the U.S. government websites started going offline after the change in presidential administrations earlier this year, Mark Graham, director of the Wayback Machine, said he wasn’t panicking. Why? Because since 2004 the Internet Archive has collaborated with many partners to save federal web pages, through the End of Term Web Archive effort. Since last fall, Graham described efforts to preserve more than 400 million web pages, 2 million videos and hundreds of thousands of data sets—all published by the U.S. government, and therefore available to the public. [watch remarks]
With the Wikimedia Foundation, the Archive has identified and fixed more than 28 million broken links from Wikipedia. It also added more than 4.2 million links to books and papers available from www.archive.org. Graham announced the new partnership with Automattic Inc. to make it easy for WordPress operators to automatically find and repair broken links with the Internet Archive Wayback Machine Link Fixer.
The Internet Archive faces challenges with the advent of AI. More services are blocking access, Graham said, making it harder for memory institutions, like the Internet Archive, to do their jobs—yet, the team remains diligent in its efforts.
“We’re going to keep on building the library that the world deserves, one that remembers, one that connects us, and one that ensures no matter how much the web changes, that knowledge will not be lost,” Graham said.
The Path Forward
Luca Messarra, cultural historian, Stanford University
Luca Messarra, a humanities scholar and educator at Stanford University, said preserving webpages is important because the past is always shaping the present moment. “History is essential because it helps us understand how our own lives came to be. But more importantly, for me, history helps us understand how our lives can be made different,” he said. “The past tells us that the present does not need to be the way that it is.” [watch remarks]
Messarra said he has used resources from the Internet Archive to write conference papers, recover his old chat messaging history and recover a favorite family biscuit recipe.
“The Wayback Machine has tended to one trillion seeds that will nourish our future. All that remains is for us to harvest and use them,” Messarra said. “One trillion pages are one trillion opportunities to change our present moment. That requires that we look at the past not with nostalgia, but with initiative.”
The largest repository of internet history ever assembled is possible thanks to thousands of donations to the Internet Archive and 200,000 unique donors, said Joy Chesbrough, director of philanthropy. At the event, she announced a new campaign that encourages individuals to create their own fundraising teams to support the Internet Archive. See https://donate.archive.org/1t [watch remarks]
It was the largest gathering for the Archive’s annual party in years, said Chris Freeland, director of library services, and he hoped the gathering fostered a sense of connection.
“It was a nostalgic throwback, but it also showed people a path forward for a web that we want,” Freeland said. “I hope people come away with this sense of optimism and a thought that this is our web, and we can be in control of it again.”
