Library of Congress admits defeat, accepts the futility of trying to archive all of Twitter

At least you tried.

Starting Jan. 1, the Library of Congress will curtail what's been a seven-year effort to collect and archive every single utterance on Twitter. A Tuesday missive from the federal institution notes that, come 2018, "the Library will acquire tweets on a selective basis."

In 2010, Twitter sent the Library a full archive of every tweet posted to date, extending back to the social network's inception in 2006. The Library continued the effort from there, cataloging Twitter posts "to acquire and preserve a record of knowledge and creativity for Congress and the American people." Read more...