But the Library of Congress's archiving our tweets is a reminder of other things as well. For starters, it says that despite the borderless nature of tweeting, Twitter itself remains distinctly American. We may not rule the world, but we own the 140-character-loving universe. International tweeters may have mixed feelings about suddenly finding themselves so strangely localized, so permanently identified with American culture. And even for us Yanks, the library's announcement brings with it the bracing heads-up that when we skimmed over the terms of service, we were granting Twitter the "worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, reproduce, process, adapt, modify, publish, transmit, display and distribute such Content in any and all media or distribution methods (now known or later developed)." All your tweets belong to us!