The Web is Disappearing: Inside the "Not Your Parents' Web" Report

A new report from the Internet Archive, Old Dominion University’s Web Science & Digital Libraries Research Group, and Filecoin Foundation explores the lifespan of millions of archived web pages across the last 26 years. 

The project, called "Not your Parents’ Web,” uncovers the alarming rate at which web content disappears, underscoring the critical role decentralized storage solutions like the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) and Filecoin can play in the future of digital preservation.

A Look at Key Findings

Not Your Parents’ Web analyzed 27.3 million archived URLs from 1996 to 2021, from the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. 

According to the report, about 60% of the URLs analyzed are no longer accessible on the live web. This puts vast amounts of valuable digital content at risk of disappearing over time. Most of these URLs fail to load due to HTTP errors, like 404 responses, or DNS failures, which indicate that domain names can no longer be resolved.

The report also found that the median lifespan of a web page is just 2.3 years. And there is reason to believe that the reality could be even shorter; the digital archive that was analyzed is less likely to capture URLs that were short-lived or unpopular.

Meanwhile, deep links, or URLs pointing to content within a website, have a median lifespan of just 1.3 years. This means 50% of deep links disappear in less than 18 months. By contrast, root URLs, a starting page for a domain, such as a website's homepage, show less fragility with only 10% of root links disappearing within a year. 

These findings illustrate the need for robust web preservation efforts to ensure that critical information remains accessible. As deep links and root URLs vanish at an alarming rate, vast amounts of web-based content are lost to time, raising concerns about the long-term availability of critical resources, especially in sectors such as academia, government, and journalism.

The Need for Digital Preservation

Not Your Parents’ Web offers critical insights into the lifecycle of web pages and raises important questions about the preservation of digital heritage. As the internet continues to evolve, much of its history is at risk of disappearing. This project is a powerful reminder of how quickly the web can change — and how easily its history can be lost if we do not act. 

IPFS and Filecoin provide decentralized solutions for digital preservation by distributing data across a network of nodes, ensuring that critical information remains accessible and resilient against loss, even if original sources go offline. Filecoin Foundation and Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web support a number of projects focused on archiving on the web, including Flickr Foundation, Prelinger Archives, and Starling Lab. 

Network News From Bangkok

Thanks for joining us at FIL Bangkok! In partnership with CoinDesk Studios, our main stage spotlighted the growing number of cutting-edge L2 solutions on Filecoin, crucial network upgrades, and the exciting trajectory of the Filecoin network. Thanks to the thousands of people who tuned in to our livestream to hear updates from teams including Titan Network, building a people-powered DePIN cloud; Numbers Protocol, committed to decentralized tools for election security; and Glitter Protocol, whose CCIP serves as a data bridge between Filecoin and Ethereum. 

On stage at FIL Bangkok, two teams unveiled L2 data storage solutions, signaling a new era of what’s possible with Filecoin by extending the capabilities of the network. Akave, a decentralized, modular L2 solution offering cutting-edge encryption, easy-to-use interfaces, and a gateway to Filecoin’s robust storage, announced the launch of its Yucca testnet. Storacha, a high-performance decentralized storage solution built with Filecoin, launched its closed alpha network tailored for gaming, AI, and DePIN networks. Read more about these announcements on our blog. 

Build With Us

Announcing the Filecoin Orbit University Challenge! Join the first-ever competition for university blockchain organizations to propose and design decentralized AI applications leveraging the Filecoin network. This challenge explores how decentralized storage can power AI models, enhance privacy, and drive impactful, real-world solutions. The winning team will receive two tickets to ETH Denver 2025 where they will present their ideas and network with the global blockchain community.

Thank You to our FIL Bangkok Sponsors

Thank you to our FIL Bangkok sponsors, ZetaCube, Ceramic, Secured Finance, Protocol Labs, Boosty Labs, GLIF, Lighthouse, and Fleek. Check out the replay of the FIL Bangkok livestream to learn more from these ecosystem contributors and gain insights into the latest developments of the Filecoin network! 

Governance

NV24 Tuk Tuk is arriving on mainnet on November 20, and will have three FIPs in scope for the upgrade. FIP0086: Fast Finality in Filecoin is no longer in scope, and will ship as part of the NV25 upgrade next year.