Kahle emphasized the unprecedented nature of the cyberattack, stating, 'It's the first time in its almost 30-year history that it has suffered an outage of longer than a few hours.' His remarks underline the significance of this event, not only for the organization but for the preservation of digital history as a whole.
The attack prompted a frenzy among the Internet Archive's team, as they worked tirelessly to restore access, with Kahle expressing disbelief at the motivation behind the attack: 'To me, it’s hard to imagine that hackers would target a free repository of digital history, seemingly without an agenda or a ransom.'
The comparison of the attack to the burning of the Library of Alexandria emphasizes the gravitas of the situation. As online commenters noted, the Internet Archive is viewed as a foundational institution for maintaining online history, drawing parallels to historical tragedies involving the loss of knowledge.
As Kahle noted, the attack raises pressing questions regarding the preservation of the internet: 'If you’ve ever had to search for an old or defunct website, you’ve probably been directed to the Internet Archive or its Wayback Machine,' highlighting the significance of the service for historical and legal contexts.
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