# Wayback Machine

| **Wayback Machine** | **Quick Overview**                                                                                                                                  |
| ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| URL                 | <https://web.archive.org/>                                                                                                                          |
| What it does        | It stores snapshots of webpages taken at different times, allowing users to see how a site looked on a specific date.                               |
| How to use it       | Enter a website URL into the search bar on the homepage. The tool will show whether archived snapshots exist and let you view them by date.         |
| Cost                | Free.                                                                                                                                               |
| Account required    | No.                                                                                                                                                 |
| Cookies             | Standard website cookies are used for functionality and analytics.                                                                                  |
| Ownership           | Operated by the Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library founded in 1996 by American digital librarian and computer engineer, Brewster Kahle. |
| Use in Reporting    | Verify past statements, retrieve deleted content, track website changes, and provide evidence of previously published material.                     |

### **What does Wayback Machine do?**&#x20;

Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the web. It regularly captures and stores copies of webpages across the internet. These copies, called “snapshots”, allow users to see how a website looked at a particular moment in the past.

**The lowdown:** It’s a quick and accessible tool for viewing archived versions of webpages and tracking how websites have changed over time, but keep in mind that not every page is captured and some archived versions may be incomplete or blocked by website restrictions.

### How to Use:

**1. Go to the** [**Wayback Machine website.**](https://web.archive.org/)

**2. Paste the URL of the webpage you want to investigate into the search bar and press Enter.**&#x20;

*We entered a Guardian article from 2020 about Covid, entitled ‘100 days that changed the world.’*

<figure><img src="https://2429831402-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3YeRsjw1gI6xxIP4cuOd%2Fuploads%2FZFPnsa1ZOTqSfAY6YdIR%2Funknown.png?alt=media&#x26;token=ed98a295-c0cd-43c0-9394-3cee6ecae5cb" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**3. Use the timeline and calendar view to select a year and date. Click a highlighted date (the blue circles) to open an archived version of the page.**

<figure><img src="https://2429831402-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F3YeRsjw1gI6xxIP4cuOd%2Fuploads%2F2bxVlvGhCwwCscgyRRTO%2Funknown.png?alt=media&#x26;token=4463fcd6-544f-49e6-84ec-685c5e016d39" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Cost:

* [ ] Paid
* [ ] Partially Free
* [x] Free

## Data Processing

### Account required:

* [ ] Yes
* [x] No

### Cookies:&#x20;

The site uses basic cookies for functionality, security, and limited analytics. Users can typically access archived content without logging in.

### &#x20;Use in Reporting

Wayback Machine can be used to:

* Verify past statements or claims made on websites.
* Retrieve content that has been deleted or edited.
* Document changes to public webpages.
* Provide archived evidence when linking to content that may change or disappear.

Journalists often include Wayback Machine links alongside original URLs to preserve a stable record of a page.

A well-known real-world example involves Bellingcat’s investigation into the [January 6 United States Capitol attack in 2021](https://gijn.org/stories/how-open-source-experts-identified-the-us-capitol-rioters/). With many social media posts, websites, and online profiles connected to participants quickly deleted, investigators and journalists used archived webpages from the Wayback Machine to recover earlier versions of pages that had been removed or edited. These archived snapshots helped verify what had been publicly posted before the attack and supported reporting about individuals and groups involved.

<br>

| **Capabilities**                                               | **Limitations**                                                                                         |
| -------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Accesses archived versions of websites dating back many years. | Not all websites are archived.                                                                          |
| Shows page history through an easy calendar interface.         | <p><br></p>                                                                                             |
| Saves a webpage snapshot manually using ‘Save Page Now’.       | Some sites block archiving.                                                                             |
| Retrieves deleted/changed online content.                      | Certain page elements such as videos, scripts or interactive content may not load properly in archives. |
| Compares different versions of the same page.                  | Some snapshots may be incomplete or missing images.                                                     |
| Can often bypass paywalls.                                     | Recently published pages may not yet be archived unless manually saved.                                 |

### Summary

Wayback Machine is a powerful and easy-to-use tool for preserving and examining historical web content. For beginners in OSINT, it is a simple but powerful tool for verifying claims, recovering deleted content, and documenting changes to webpages. However users should remain mindful of its gaps and limitations when relying on archived material.

### Ownership

Wayback Machine is run by the Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library founded in 1996 by American digital librarian and computer engineer, [Brewster Kahle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster_Kahle). The organisation’s mission is to provide universal access to knowledge by preserving digital content, including websites, books, audio, and video.

### Ethical Considerations:

* Archived content may still contain personal data or sensitive information.
* Just because content was publicly accessible does not always mean it should be republished without context.
* Consider privacy and potential harm when sharing archived material.
* Ensure archived pages are used responsibly and accurately represented in reporting.

<br>

### Related Tools:

* Archive.today / Archive.ph (but note recent controversy correct as of 13.03.26)

#### Sources:

<https://web.archive.org/>&#x20;

<https://publicinsights.uk/blog/unmasking-archive.today-what-osint-reveals-about-the-web-of-identities-behind-it>&#x20;

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine>&#x20;

<https://blog.archive.org/author/brewster/>

<https://gijn.org/stories/how-open-source-experts-identified-the-us-capitol-rioters/>