"Acker's astoundingly intelligent book reveals how evolving logics of digital data storage have promoted overwhelming social, legal, and epistemic transformations. Archiving Machines is essential, foundational work for understanding modern societies." --Paul N. Edwards, Stanford University; author of The Closed World and A Vast Machine "A generous and essential contribution for anyone seeking to understand the politics of data and digital technologies at a time when such knowledge seems more indispensable than ever." --Nanna Bonde Thylstrup, University of Copenhagen; author of The Politics of Mass Digitization "Accessibly written and impressive in its historical breadth, Archiving Machines tracks the seismic shifts in data collection, storage, and use since the 1950s. It's a lovely piece of work that highlights the subtle power acts designed into everyday technology." --Mark Burdon, Professor, Queensland University of Technology; author of Digital Data Collection and Information Privacy Law.