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Is the Wayback Machine proof a page existed? Useful for public pages. Not built to prove when your own files existed.
Clicking opens the TimeBinder app. Files are hashed locally on your computer; nothing is uploaded or stored by TimeBinder.
The Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is one of the most useful public records on the web. If a page was captured, you can show roughly what it said on a date. But it only works for public pages, it only records what its crawler saw, and it isn’t built to prove when your own files existed.
Your files never leave your computer. With TimeBinder, each file is hashed locally on your own device. Nothing is uploaded or stored by TimeBinder.
Is a Wayback Machine capture proof?
Short answer: it is evidence of what the Archive captured at a public URL, from an independent non-profit. Courts in the US and elsewhere have accepted captures, often with an affidavit or by judicial notice, but treatment varies. It can’t show anything about files that were never public.
For your own files, and as a backup for pages that matter, add a timestamp you control.
What is TimeBinder? TimeBinder is a blockchain timestamping service. It shows that a digital file existed no later than a specific time, and that it still matches its fingerprint, by anchoring the file’s SHA-256 fingerprint to the Bitcoin blockchain. Files are hashed in your browser and never uploaded, and each TimeBind comes with a Proof of Time Certificate that can be checked later. It does not prove who created a file or that its contents are true.
What the Wayback Machine is good at
- Showing what a public URL looked like when it was captured, using a dated capture URL.
- Evidence that doesn’t come from you: the Archive is an independent non-profit.
- Free on-demand captures through Save Page Now, for any public page you can reach.
Where it falls short
- Public pages only. Unreleased songs, drafts, designs and source code aren’t on a public page, so there is nothing to capture.
- Partial captures. The Archive’s own model affidavit notes that images and other files on a page have their own capture dates, which may differ from the page itself.
- Captures can be removed. Site owners can ask for exclusion, and the service has had outages.
- Authentication can cost time and money. The Archive offers a paid affidavit service but asks people to try stipulation or judicial notice first.
Wayback Machine vs TimeBinder
| Wayback Machine | TimeBinder | |
|---|---|---|
| Works for private or unreleased files? | No | Yes, the file never leaves your device |
| Who holds the record | Internet Archive | The public Bitcoin blockchain |
| Shows exactly what changed? | Visually, for captured pages | Any change to the file is detectable |
| Can the record be removed? | Captures can be excluded on request | An ASAP TimeBind stays checkable on the blockchain |
| Cost | Free to capture | Free plan: 1 Token a month |
Use them together
- For a public page that matters (your portfolio, a product page, a release announcement), run it through Save Page Now.
- Save your own copy of the page as PDF or HTML, and screenshots if layout matters.
- TimeBind those files. You then have the Archive’s capture plus your own record that doesn’t depend on any one organisation.
One honest limit: timestamping a screenshot shows that the screenshot existed by that time. It doesn’t prove the page looked that way. The Archive capture and your timestamped copy support each other.
How to timestamp a file with TimeBinder
Three steps. Submitting takes a few minutes; a Pooled TimeBind is usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity, and ASAP is faster.
Drop your files
Add up to 10 files per TimeBind. Any file type and size works.
page-capture.pdf · screenshot.pngHashed on your computer
Your browser works out a unique SHA-256 fingerprint for each file. Nothing is uploaded. The files never leave your device and TimeBinder never stores them.
fingerprint 9f2c…41ab · file stays with youSealed to Bitcoin
The fingerprints are anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain: ASAP (your own transaction, sent straight away) or Pooled (usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity). You get a Proof of Time Certificate, a PDF with a QR code and the Bitcoin transaction ID.
✓ sealed · certificate ready
What a TimeBind shows, and what it doesn’t
What it shows
- That this exact file existed no later than the time recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain
- That a file shown later still matches its fingerprint: the same file gives the same fingerprint, and any edit gives a different one
- A record kept outside your own systems: an ASAP TimeBind can be checked on the Bitcoin blockchain without relying on TimeBinder, and a Pooled TimeBind is verified through TimeBinder
What it doesn’t show
- Who created, wrote or signed the file
- That the contents are true or accurate
- How a court or other decision-maker will treat it: that depends on the jurisdiction and the rules that apply. It isn’t legal advice
Frequently asked questions
Is the Wayback Machine accepted as evidence?
Courts in the US and elsewhere have accepted Wayback Machine captures, often with an affidavit from the Internet Archive or by judicial notice, but treatment varies and some courts have required more. It is evidence of what the Archive captured, not proof about files that were never public.
Can I use Save Page Now to timestamp my own work?
Only if the work is on a public web page. Save Page Now records the page as the Archive’s crawler sees it. Private files, unreleased work and anything behind a login can’t be archived this way.
Can a Wayback Machine capture disappear?
Yes. Site owners can ask for captures to be excluded, and the service can be unavailable, as it was for some days in October 2024 after a cyberattack. Keep your own copies as well.
What is the best way to prove what a web page looked like?
Archive the public page with Save Page Now, save your own copy (HTML or PDF and screenshots), and timestamp those files so you have a record that does not depend on one organisation.
Does timestamping a screenshot prove what a page showed?
No. It shows the screenshot existed by that time. Pair it with an Archive capture of the page.
Related guides
Open TimeBinder and timestamp your copies
Here’s what you’ll do next:
- Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
- Add your files. They stay on your computer.
- Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
Start free: your first Pooled TimeBind each month costs nothing. See pricing