The web….where would we be without it?
The World Wide Web is 30 years old (12 March) and Tim Berners-Lee wants to help us fix it
In his open letter of 12 March 2019, he describes 3 sources of dysfunction affecting the web:
- ‘Deliberate, malicious intent, such as state-sponsored hacking and attacks, criminal behaviour, and online harassment.
- System design that creates perverse incentives where user value is sacrificed, such as ad-based revenue models that commercially reward clickbait and the viral spread of misinformation.
- Unintended negative consequences of benevolent design, such as the outraged and polarised tone and quality of online discourse.’
Berners-Lee believes laws and codes can be developed to minimize malicious intent and systems can be redesigned to change incentives. Existing flawed systems can also be changed.
His letter: https://webfoundation.org/2019/03/web-birthday-30/
A new Contract for the Web
Half the world is now online and the Web Foundation is working with governments, companies and citizens to build a new Contract for the Web, with clear norms, laws and standards. Results will be made available later in 2019. Berners-Lee: ‘Most important of all, citizens must hold companies and governments accountable for the commitments they make, and demand that both respect the web as a global community with citizens at its heart.’ He also stresses that the half of the world who are not online must not be left behind and that everyone should contribute to ‘a web that drives equality, opportunity and creativity.’ The Contract for the Web will not be a list of quick fixes, but a ‘journey from digital adolescence to a more mature, responsible and inclusive future.’
https://webfoundation.org/2019/03/web-birthday-30/
#ForTheWeb
The independent World Wide Web Foundation was set up by Tim Berners-Lee and exists to advance his vision of a web for everyone. ‘The free and open web faces real challenges. More than half the world’s population still can’t get online. For the other half, the web’s benefits come with too many risks: to our privacy, our democracy, our rights.’
The Case for the Web Report
Examines what the web has allowed humanity to accomplish, examines current trends that threaten its future and outlines actions to ensure the web remains free and open for everyone. ‘Over half the world’s population is still offline, and the growth of people coming online is slowing dramatically. The distributed power of the web has shifted to lay in the hands of just a few, online abuse is on the rise, and the content we see is increasingly susceptible to manipulation. Over 1.2 billion internet users live in countries where net neutrality is not protected, and more than 1.5 billion people live in countries with no comprehensive law on personal data protection, leaving them particularly vulnerable to increasingly common incidents involving breaches of personal data.’
https://webfoundation.org/research/the-case-for-the-web/