I think having to rely on an archive makes this a lot less valuable. If I find something in 2033 and want to prove it existed in 2023, I think that’s going to be much harder if I have to rely on the thing itself being archived in 2023, in an archive that still exists in 2033; compared to just relying on the thing being timestamped in 2023.
I also think if you’re relying on the Internet Archive, the argument that this is urgent becomes weaker. (And honestly I didn’t find it compelling to begin with, though not for legible reasons I could point at.) Consider three possibilities, for something that will be created in May 2023:
We can prove it was created no later than May 2023.
We can prove it was created no later than June 2023.
We can prove it was created no later than June 2023; and that in June 2023, the Internet Archive claimed it was created no later than May 2023.
A one-month delay brings you from (1) to (2) if the IA isn’t involved. But if they are, it brings you from (1) to (3). As long as you set it up before IA goes rogue, the cost of delay is lower.
If I find something in 2033 and want to prove it existed in 2023, I think that’s going to be much harder if I have to rely on the thing itself being archived in 2023, in an archive that still exists in 2033; compared to just relying on the thing being timestamped in 2023.
Yeah, I think this is an unfortunate technical necessity, but only in the case where the thing you find in 2033 has been changed (in an irrelevant way). If you find something in 2033 that was actually timestamped in 2023, you don’t need access to an archived version, since it’s identical to what you already have.
I also think if you’re relying on the Internet Archive, the argument that this is urgent becomes weaker … As long as you set it up before IA goes rogue, the cost of delay is lower.
This is fair criticism. IA does in fact timestamp content and has for a good while, just not trustlessly (at least not intentionally AFAIK). So, to the extent (in jurisdiction and time) that people in general can trust IA, including their intentions, competence, technology and government, perhaps the value really is marginal at the present time.
Perhaps I will slightly decrease my belief about the urgency, although I remain convinced this is worth doing. I see the value as mostly long-term, and IA’s claims for what content was created when, is itself a treasure of arguably reliable recordkeeping worth protecting by timestamping.
I think having to rely on an archive makes this a lot less valuable. If I find something in 2033 and want to prove it existed in 2023, I think that’s going to be much harder if I have to rely on the thing itself being archived in 2023, in an archive that still exists in 2033; compared to just relying on the thing being timestamped in 2023.
I also think if you’re relying on the Internet Archive, the argument that this is urgent becomes weaker. (And honestly I didn’t find it compelling to begin with, though not for legible reasons I could point at.) Consider three possibilities, for something that will be created in May 2023:
We can prove it was created no later than May 2023.
We can prove it was created no later than June 2023.
We can prove it was created no later than June 2023; and that in June 2023, the Internet Archive claimed it was created no later than May 2023.
A one-month delay brings you from (1) to (2) if the IA isn’t involved. But if they are, it brings you from (1) to (3). As long as you set it up before IA goes rogue, the cost of delay is lower.
Yeah, I think this is an unfortunate technical necessity, but only in the case where the thing you find in 2033 has been changed (in an irrelevant way). If you find something in 2033 that was actually timestamped in 2023, you don’t need access to an archived version, since it’s identical to what you already have.
This is fair criticism. IA does in fact timestamp content and has for a good while, just not trustlessly (at least not intentionally AFAIK). So, to the extent (in jurisdiction and time) that people in general can trust IA, including their intentions, competence, technology and government, perhaps the value really is marginal at the present time.
Perhaps I will slightly decrease my belief about the urgency, although I remain convinced this is worth doing. I see the value as mostly long-term, and IA’s claims for what content was created when, is itself a treasure of arguably reliable recordkeeping worth protecting by timestamping.