FBI Subpoenas Archive.today Owner in Criminal Investigation

FBI Demands Identity of Mysterious Archive.today Owner

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has taken unprecedented legal action to uncover the identity of the anonymous operator behind Archive.today, a popular web archiving service used by millions worldwide. On October 30, 2025, the FBI issued a subpoena to Canadian domain registrar Tucows demanding comprehensive personal information about the site's owner, including name, address, billing details, telephone records, and internet session data.

Subpoena Details and Legal Requirements

The subpoena, which was publicly posted on Archive.today's X account with the single word 'Canary' - a reference to warrant canaries that signal government surveillance - requires Tucows to provide all identifying information by November 29, 2025. According to legal experts, 'This represents a significant escalation in law enforcement's approach to anonymous web services that operate in legal gray areas,' said cybersecurity attorney Mark Johnson.

The FBI states the information 'relates to a federal criminal investigation being conducted by the FBI' but notably does not specify the exact crime being investigated. The broad scope of requested data includes payment information, network addresses, and even details about services the owner has used, such as email or cloud computing platforms.

Archive.today's Controversial History

Archive.today, which began operating in 2012 under various domain names including Archive.is and Archive.ph, has preserved approximately 500 million webpages. The service functions similarly to the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine but with key differences that have made it both popular and controversial.

Unlike traditional web archives, Archive.today does not respect robots.txt protocols that allow website owners to opt out of archiving. This has made it particularly useful for bypassing paywalls and accessing restricted content, leading to comparisons with services like 12ft.io, which was successfully taken down earlier this year for offering 'illegal circumvention technology' according to the News/Media Alliance.

The Mysterious Owner

Little is known about Archive.today's operator beyond a domain registration under the name 'Denis Petrov' from Prague, Czech Republic. However, experts believe this could be a pseudonym, as the individual has maintained complete anonymity throughout the service's 13-year operation.

'The fact that someone has operated such a massive archiving service for over a decade without revealing their identity is remarkable in today's digital landscape,' noted internet historian Dr. Sarah Chen. 'This investigation could set important precedents for anonymous web services globally.'

Legal Implications and Industry Response

Tucows, as a Canadian-based registrar, must comply with valid U.S. subpoenas under international legal agreements. The company's legal compliance policy allows it to notify customers about subpoenas and provide time for legal challenges, though it's unclear if Archive.today's operator has been formally notified.

The investigation comes amid increasing legal pressure on services that facilitate access to copyrighted content. Earlier this year, Google delisted 749 million URLs from literary piracy site Anna's Archive, signaling broader enforcement against copyright infringement tools.

Digital rights advocates have expressed concern about the implications for web archiving and information preservation. 'While copyright enforcement is important, we must balance this against the public's right to access and preserve information,' said Electronic Frontier Foundation representative Maria Rodriguez.

As the November 29 deadline approaches, the internet archiving community watches closely to see whether Archive.today's mysterious operator will be unmasked and what precedent this case might set for anonymous web services operating across international borders.