[xkcd 1683] Digital Data
[xkcd 1683] Digital Data
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/36672698
Source: https://xkcd.com/1683/
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I've always thought that argument only works as long as data is free or close to free. Once it incurs a cost, I think copies end up getting removed. I think it's fundamentally flawed to say the internet will never forget.
The media on the internet will all eventually be behind a paywall. It seems like we're heading in that direction.
That seems to imply everything you're willing to pay for would still be accessible. That's just not the case I think. Things dissappear full stop, also if you do want to pay for it.
A lot of non super popular, not very internationally known media eventually disappears into non-accessible copies in private collections: hard drives, non public accessible computers etc and at the same time becomes nearly impossible to purchase or otherwise retrieve online. For example public broadcasters in Europe: they don't want to put in the money and effort to preserve their entire archives, they don't make everything from the past accessible, things do get lost in their archives (sometimes as a conscious choice) and at the same time it is illegal for private people to archive it... until it is too late. For example lots and lots of radio plays are probably already lost forever.