W H We must dotcom together to make web safe
As web turns 30, inventor urges world to improve it
hen Sir Tim BernersLee invented the World Wide Web 30 years ago today, the possibilities it opened up and the good it could do seemed limitless.
But on its milestone anniversary, he warns we need a better web to beat scammers, hackers, online stalkers, cybercriminals and fake news peddlers.
Tim has written a letter calling on world leaders and ordinary people to “come together” and end misuse of the web. He tells of fears his creation has “given a voice to those who spread hatred, and made all kinds of crime easier to commit”.
He proposed the web as a way of managing information on the internet on March 12, 1989, while with the European Organisation for Nuclear Research.
Now, more than half the world’s 7.7billion population are online.
In his letter, Tim outlines how he thinks the web could change for the better, saying: “If we give up on building a better web now, the web will not have failed us – we will have failed the web.”
He outlines three areas that must be tackled. The first is “deliberate, malicious intent, such as state-sponsored hacking, criminal behaviour and harassment”.
Second is “system design”, which has created “perverse incentives where user value is sacrificed, such as ad-based revenue models that commercially reward clickbait”.
Third is the “viral spread of misinformation”. e also calls for a response to the “unintended negative consequences” of the web, which have led to “the outraged and polarised tone and quality of online discourse”.
The World Wide Web Foundation is working with governments and organisations to develop a Contract for the Web, to make sure access is a human right and it is built for the public good.
He asks ordinary people and politicians to help ensure the contract is not a “list of quick fixes”, saying: “Governments must translate laws and regulations for the digital age.
“They must ensure markets remain competitive, innovative and open. And they have a responsibility to protect people’s rights and freedoms online.”
Tim, at the Science Museum in London today for the anniversary, adds: “The fight for the web is one of the most important causes of our time. The web is for everyone and we hold the power to change it. It won’t be easy.
“But if we dream a little and work a lot, we can get the web we want.”