The whole architecture of the internet is inside out. People have become numb to the insanity of encountering null pointers multiple times per day. This is understandable since the inside out structure is what allowed the web to grow quickly, but it will also be what ultimately dooms it as a real lasting store for knowledge.

The problem is that the foundations are shifting sands, and we need something that has significantly more integrity at the bottom layer, we can't just bolt URNs on as an afterthought. Some organizations are able to maintain persistent data over time, but it is in spite of the technology, not because of it.

I will also note that a world where it is possible to delete things is a world where individuals can be made to have written anything in the past. On the internet, at a certain point the past can be fabricated from whole cloth.

edit: and ironically, the issue is that this is because the internet wasn't actually academic enough in its original design.