Author Archives: Chris Freeland

About Chris Freeland

Chris Freeland is the Director of Library Services at Internet Archive.

Voices Celebrating 1 Trillion Pages: Katherine Maher, President and CEO of NPR

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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.

Voices Celebrating 1 Trillion Pages: Vint Cerf, Internet Pioneer

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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.

Looking Back on Our Shared Digital History: “The Web We’ve Built” Mini-Doc

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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

Voices Celebrating 1 Trillion Pages: Peter Gabriel, Musician

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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.

Internet Luminaries Unite to Defend the Open Web: “Let’s Have a Game with Many Winners”

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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.

California State Senator Recognizes Internet Archive’s ‘Remarkable Innovation and Leadership’

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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

Celebrating Sir Tim Berners-Lee, 2025 Internet Archive Hero Award Recipient

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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.

Supervisor Connie Chan Recognizes ‘Internet Archive Day’ in San Francisco

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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:

Watch rally remarks:

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 Kahle
Swilk, artist in residence
Supervisor Connie Chan
City Librarian Michael Lambert

View more images

Senator Alex Padilla Honors Internet Archive’s 1 Trillion Milestone in Congressional Record

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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)

https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-171/issue-179/senate-section/article/S7780-4

[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.

Celebrate 1 Trillion Web Pages with Original Net.Art Works: Internet Archive x Gray Area

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Pretty Guardian Shrine (2025) by Ophira Horwitz

Internet Archive x Gray Area: Trillionth Webpage Net.Art Commissions
Date: Saturday, November 1
Time: 5:00 to 8:00pm
Location: Internet Archive, 300 Funston Avenue, San Francisco
Admission: Free
REGISTER NOW!

The Internet Archive has reached an extraordinary milestone: one trillion web pages archived. This civilization-scale achievement marks decades of dedication to preserving the ephemeral nature of digital culture and ensuring universal access to human knowledge.

To commemorate this historic moment, San Francisco interdisciplinary arts and technology non-profit Gray Area has partnered with the Internet Archive to commission a series of original net.art works that engage with the vast holdings of the Internet Archive and explore what it means to create, preserve, and access culture online.

REGISTER NOW

Commissioned Artists

  • Chia Amisola
  • Spencer Chang
  • Sarah Friend & Arkadiy Kukarkin
  • Ophira Horwitz
  • Mai Ishikawa-Sutton & Raúl Feliz
  • Olivia McKayla Ross
  • Jesse Walton
  • Rodell Warner

The commissioned artists have drawn from the Internet Archive’s expansive collections to create web-based artworks that reflect on themes of memory, digital archaeology, and the human stories embedded within preserved data. These works exist as both online experiences and physical installations at the Internet Archive, bridging the digital and material worlds in ways that honor the Archive’s dual nature as both a technological achievement and a profoundly human endeavor.

Curated by Amir Esfahani (Internet Archive) and Wade Wallerstein (Gray Area)