Crawling websites over time allows for modifications to content to be observed and analyzed. This type of access can be useful in ensuring accountability and visibility for web content that no longer exists. On one hand, companies may archive their web content as part of records management practices or as a defense against legal action; on the other, public web archives can show changes in governmental, organizational, or individual policy or practices.
Proposal to use web archives to analyze the web presence of public health organizations to observe changes in policies and practices.
Blog post describing the benefits of web archives in terms of accountability and authenticity, by providing “proof of authenticity” and “clear audit trails” for web content.
Internet Archive policy on authenticating web content found in the archive.
Blog posts from Nextpoint, Inc.
Blog posts describing how web archiving can aid organizations in terms of accountability and recordkeeping, as well as issues with usingb archive content as evidence in a legal context.