This is one of the most frightening things I've read in a while. You may remember warnings from Hollywood archivists that many classic old films are literally disintegrating and some were even lost to history forever by 'turning into vinegar' and becoming unplayable after years in storage.

Now it turns out it could be happening to those stored digitally, too. I always believed that digital storage was forever and was the answer to this issue. But it appears that's not the case. According to those in the know, even stuff saved in 1s and 0s may not be permanent. Sometime it's the technology, which gets corrupted. Other times, it's human error. 

"One infamous example: In 1998, a Pixar employee accidentally typed a fatal command function, instructing the computer system to delete Toy Story 2, which was then almost complete. Luckily, a supervising technical director who’d been working from home (she’d just had a baby) had a 2-week-old backup file."

In addition, there are concerns about old digital encryption formats that have been replaced by something newer and better - will archivists have the ability to open them with long outdated equipment and formats 50 years from now? Ever tried to retrieve something off of a Windows 95 floppy? That's another aspect of the problem.

"In part, the indie filmmakers’ digital crisis can be traced to inadequate storage safeguards. (Innumerable thumb drives and hard drives are half-forgotten, only to age and corrupt, in closets, under beds and on garage shelves.) "

And it's not just old movies. There's a description in the article below about producers of "Law & Order: SVU" needing a shot of lead character Olivia Benson for a flashback scene when she was younger - and how they almost couldn't get to it. 

This is a story to watch before it leads into something we no longer can. 

“It’s a Silent Fire”: Decaying Digital Movie and TV Show Files Are a Hollywood Crisis