Internet Archive: Research & Method Use Cases

​We will present a short overview that maps how researchers and artists have used the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine as a methodological tool. From legal forensics to media historiography, these examples show how archived web data helps verify, reconstruct, and reinterpret the digital past.

1️⃣ Investigating Authenticity & Evidence

​The Wayback Machine has become a trusted third-party witness of the web, supporting digital accountability and evidentiary verification.

2️⃣ Tracing Digital Footprints & Trackers

​Historical crawls reveal how data-collection practices and platform integration evolved long before today’s privacy debates.

3️⃣ Screencast Documentary Method

​These projects turn the Archive’s captures into living histories — showing how interfaces, institutions, and narratives shift over time.

💬 Closing Note

​The Internet Archive is more than an archive, it’s become a methodological engine for digital research, art, and civic verification.