The Internet is rotting away (German)
The article discusses the decline of the Internet as a repository of knowledge, highlighting the phenomenon of 'link rot' where many web pages become inaccessible over time. It compares this gradual loss of information to the historical destruction of the Library of Alexandria, emphasizing that neglect rather than catastrophic events often leads to the disappearance of knowledge. The author warns that both public and private documents risk being lost in the vastness of the web due to changing URLs and deleted content.
- ▪Around 40 percent of web pages uploaded in 2013 were no longer accessible by 2023.
- ▪'Link rot' refers to the phenomenon where linked references lead to dead ends, resulting in a loss of valuable information.
- ▪The decline of accessible online documents poses a significant risk to researchers, journalists, and the general public.
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<div id="h2-banner-small"> <div id="banner_weg"><a href="#netzpolitik-pw">X</a></div> <div> Wir bleiben dran, wo andere aufgeben. Mit deiner Unterstützung. <a href="/spenden?mtm_campaign=banner--top-nos"><strong>Jetzt spenden!</strong></a> </div> </div> X Wir bleiben dran, wo andere aufgeben. Mit deiner Unterstützung. Jetzt spenden Breakpoint: Das Internet verrottet Tote Links, gelöschte Webpages und geänderte URLs machen das Internet zu einem Ort der Sackgassen. Wie Informationen im Netz verschwinden, erinnert an einen der berühmtesten Bibliotheksbrände der Geschichte. Doch allzu oft sind es nicht Katastrophen, die Wissen vernichten, sondern Desinteresse. Carla Siepmann 24.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at netzpolitik.org.
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