Discussing the Impact of Archiving Federal Websites

At the Institute for People, Place, and Possibility (IP3), we believe in the power of information to drive community change. Federal websites and the datasets they often provide are essential infrastructure for American systems, lives, and livelihoods. Since January 2025, Trump administration directives have resulted in the disappearance of more than 8,000 webpages and 2,000 datasets. When information disappears, foundational training and education information used by practitioners to create healthy, thriving, and equitable communities are gone with it. That’s why we’re tracking the systematic removal and archiving of federal websites and datasets.

Over the past several months, thousands of federal web pages and datasets have vanished from public view. They include foundational materials on public health, climate justice, LGBTQ+ equity, and environmental justice. Their disappearance poses a direct threat to changemakers who rely on open access to federal information to build healthier, more equitable futures. Although the Trump administration was ordered by federal court to restore many of the disappeared assets in February, the consequences of the administration’s actions have been stunning to witness: there has been a staggering loss of public information, unraveling of public trust in institutions and information, blatant condemnation of science, and disregard for the public’s health. 

Our Role as Stewards of Public Information

We believe public information must remain accessible—at IP3, we use it, we preserve it, and we advocate for it. IP3 exists to help communities make sense of information and data, and use it to transform communities for the better. Through platforms like Community Commons and IP3 ASSESS, we organize, contextualize, and share data information to support changemakers across the nation.

This work is only possible when information and data remains available. As news broke about the removal of webpages and datasets, we braced for impact, unsure how the loss of public information from federal sources might result in loss of data and resources curated for changemakers like you. Our team has tracked information losses closely through internal systems, including the Community Commons Knowledge Base. Since the beginning of 2025, we’ve identified hundreds of resources from federal agencies that have been taken down or archived. 

What’s Disappearing and Why It Matters

We’ve identified hundreds of items from federal sources within our Knowledge Base that have disappeared. Perhaps what’s more alarming than the volume of knowledge lost is the subject matter of what has been archived or removed. Some of the most troubling examples of data loss include:

• Public health guidance on topics like heart disease, HIV, suicide prevention, and infant mortality

• Foundational training and planning tools for local health departments and nonprofits

• Environmental justice materials, including the EPA’s EJSCREEN tool and video series commemorating 20 years of its work

• LGBTQ+ health and demographic data, which had been used to inform inclusive policymaking

• Climate and minority health information, including research on structural racism and rural health equity

  
  

Our Collective Response

By raising awareness and advocating for transparency, we can help ensure that public resources remain in the public domain. At IP3, we preserve what matters and we’ll continue to track the shifting landscape. All data in IP3 ASSESS is downloaded and stored in our secure data warehouse. We don’t rely on live external sources, so if a federal page goes down, the data remains available. Our team monitors changes across over 120 public data sources, keeping our 790+ indicators up to date and ensuring our partners can continue to rely on quality data and information.

And, we’ll prepare for what’s next; as access to national datasets becomes more fragile, we’re also ready to pivot to state, regional, and local data as needed. We support partners with the technical tools and frameworks they need to collect, align, and apply data more effectively to drive change.

Finally, we’ll advocate for the protection of open access to data and information. As an organization, we are not just data users, but stewards, working to ensure vital public information remains accessible, relevant, and protected. The loss of public information is not inevitable; together, we can advocate to preserve it. 

• Speak up for digital preservation and transparency: Encourage policymakers and agencies to prioritize open access and responsible archiving.

• Use and share archived versions of lost resources: Many tools are still retrievable through platforms like the Internet Archive.

• Engage in community-centered data work: Whether through collaborative networks, data equity initiatives, or local data infrastructure, help create systems that are resilient and people-centered.

• Explore advocacy and data resources: Advocate for equitable access to public information and explore other data preservation efforts.

  
  

Join us in advocating for transparent, equitable access to public information. Let’s ensure the data and knowledge we all depend on remain a public good, for the public’s benefit. And, if you have more questions about what we’re doing to maintain access to data and information, please reach out.