Demand Accountability. Restore the Data.
The sudden removal of the World Factbook on February 4th, 2026 has left a void in global intelligence, education, and transparency. Providing rich, objective information and statistical data on all the nations of the world for decades, this resource belonged to the public and you can help to bring it back or build its successor.
1. Speak Truth to Power
The Administration needs to hear that the World Factbook is a critical tool for students, researchers, and policymakers alike. Demand a transparent explanation for its removal and a commitment to its restoration.
- Write to Congress and the current Administration.
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The Message: “The World Factbook is an essential public good. Its removal hinders global transparency and education. The Administration should provide a full explanation for its takedown and commit to the immediate restoration of public access to its data.”
- Find and contact your Representative
- Contact your Senator
- Members of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
- Members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
- Message the White House
2. Spread the word
The World Factbook meant a lot to the public. If it meant something to you, whether you used it in grade school for a report or referenced it in your work, you can use your story to raise awareness about this takedown and spread the word through your networks.
- Share this page: Use the hashtag #RestoreTheFactbook on social media to spread the word.
- Archive Awareness: Encourage others to use the following resources to access historical data in the meantime:
- The Internet Archive’s WaybackMachine Collection
- Simon Willison’s archive of the 2020 version
- Milan Milkovich’s archive of the 1990 - 2025 data
- The Wikisource’s MediaWiki community-based effort
- GitHub user appecta’s minimalist portal
- The Digital Public Goods Library’s archive of the 2025 version
3. A Call for Support
If the government will not host this incredible resource, the community must step-up to restore it. Data preservation initiatives that seek to save public resources like the World Factbook need support to be sustainable. Consider donating to the Data Rescue Project🛟, the Internet Archive, or another such initiative.
- Commitment To that end, this domain will be handed over to anyone interested in funding, developing, and maintaining an open-source full-stack restoration of the World Factbook.
If your foundation or organization has the funding and capacity to lead this project, please reach out here.