Library of Congress archiving Twitter

That Twitter message you just posted about your ham sandwich might now become part of history.

Twitter is donating its archives of tweets to the Library of Congress, going back to the first ones in 2006. The goal is to allow researchers to revisit discussions of significant events, including the protests in Iran last year and the earthquakes in Haiti and elsewhere.

Only tweets meant for public viewing will be available, though. Accounts with more restrictive privacy settings won't be included.

In announcing the archives Wednesday, Twitter said the Library of Congress won't be able to offer access to specific tweets until six months after they are posted. Separately, Google Inc. announced a new feature for accessing more recent Twitter archives.

© 2010 The Associated Press