The British Library has expressed concerns that future historians may face a “black hole” of lost material unless urgent action is taken to archive contemporary websites and other digital records.
Lynne Brindley, the library’s chief executive, is concerned that Britain’s cultural heritage may be at risk as new technologies make current standards obsolete. Some have noted that this is already happening, with photos stored on computers lost forever when hard drives fail and mobile phone snaps easily being lost or never transferred off the handset.