I am curious how they’re funded. How they are able to stay online. Surely there must be people, governments etc with deep pockets that would want to take them down?

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jampekka 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

You can donate to get access to faster download mirrors. I'd guess this is the main source of their revenue.

https://annas-archive.org/donate

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glimshe 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

Can you donate to them without someone claiming you're donating money to a criminal enterprise and getting you in trouble? I mean, without using bitcoins

	▲	sMarsIntruder 3 days ago \| parent [-]
		You can buy Amazon gift cards using bitcoin lighting to add another layer (actually 2) of paranoia :)

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notpushkin 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

I suppose it could also be their enterprise users, though there’s not a lot of info on this aspect of their activity.

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solidsnack9000 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Allegedly, some companies with deep pockets have paid them for access to their collection. The collection turns out to be useful for training LLMs.

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qingcharles 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

Can confirm this is happening. But the money paid is tiny. Think thousands of dollars, not millions. Not enough to keep the lights on. I would assume they do pretty well from donations.

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KeplerBoy 3 days ago | parent [-]

Never assume anyone does well from donations. That's rarely the case.

	▲	rahimnathwani 3 days ago \| parent [-]
		Donors get benefits.

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tkel 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Source on this claim? All their torrents are released publicly. Why would "companies with deep pockets" need to pay them?

	▲	bibabaloo 3 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Because they have an interest in the ongoing work of archiving of new things I guess
	▲	fmajid 3 days ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		For fast access
	▲	bombcar 3 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Paying someone, even a pittance, gives you deniability and a chain of ownership. Using a torrent of the exact same thing does not.