Twitter is donating the entire database of public Tweets as a gift to the Library, granting an "irrevocable nonexclusive license" to the material. "Any portion of the collection originally posted to the Twitter service six months prior to the then-current date may be made available to Library staff and to bona fide researchers according to the policies of the custodial division of the Library responsible for the administration and service of materials of this nature," said the agreement.
"Twitter is part of the historical record of communication, reporting, and social trends – all of which complement the library's existing cultural heritage collections", said the Library in a blog statement. "It is a direct record of important events such as the 2008 US presidential election or the 'Green Revolution' in Iran." In a FAQ published to update the public on the donation, it was determined that private account information and deleted Tweets would not be included in the archive. Link information such as pictures and websites would also not be collected.
Reaction to the news was mixed. Some were thoughtful, such as the posting from security blog Securology, which had argued before the publication of the FAQ that users should have the right to delete information after their intended use expired. But the one we liked the most was from Michael Critz, a random commentor on the Library of Congress blog: "it's critical that future generations know what flavor burrito I had for lunch", he quipped late last week.