After more research it looks like the best long term archival storage are glass CD/DVD and film on Mylar substrate because Mylar is extremely stable.
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And then there is this...
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Sorry for the long link
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opinion hit piece
One factor that has made the Intelligence State possible is cheap mass storage.
I was amazed when I applied for a state job and to verify my ID they asked me "What vehicle did you own in 1968?" I was 17 then and owned a Honda 90cc motorcycle.
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I thought, "Who on God's green earth would save data from 1968 on what vehicle I owned."
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A cousin (who has since died) was a deputy and let me see my NCIC file.
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Boring.
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This was 1996 and the main entry was "Approached to work for DIA and refused. Had security clearance from 1973 through 1979 for project...." [I was the tech for a airborne magnetometer pipeline survey and won't reveal the project name.] It listed my combination license, motorcycle and car, ham license and a list of my relatives, most of whom I'd never met, and a few other bits of data.
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[The DIA approached me as a senior in high school. I considered the offer but my father promised to break my arms if I agreed....and the thought of me as a DIA analyst still makes me giggle. If I was the best and brightest...good thing WWIII never happened.]
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I wonder what they have stored now....like the FBI keeps a list of "known associates." So if a friend from high school turned into a dope dealer, I'm probably tied to 'him'.
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Oh, a former duputy from KY was wanted for murder, a cop drove through a motel parking lot and his license plate reader popped up "This car is tied to a person wanted for a murder warrant."
That was a good use, but, and I don't care, imagine what can be determined by knowing when and where my care is on a monthly basis.?
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Or consider cell phone companies keep location data for you for unknown lengths of time and share it with whomever.?
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All of this is possible because of cheap mass storage.?
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