Twenty-five years ago today, I filed the proposal for what was to become the World Wide Web.
My boss dubbed it ‘vague but exciting’. Luckily, he thought enough of the idea to allow me to quietly work on it on the side.
In the following quarter-century, the Web has changed the world in ways that I never could have imagined. There have been many exciting advances. It has generated billions of dollars in economic growth, turned data into the gold of the 21st century, unleashed innovation in education and healthcare, whittled away geographic and social boundaries, revolutionised the media, and forced a reinvention of politics in many countries by enabling constant two-way dialogue between the rulers and the ruled.
There are a few principles which allowed the web, as a platform, to support such growth. By design, the Web is universal, royalty-free, open and decentralised. Thousands of people worked together to build the early Web in an amazing, non-national spirit of collaboration; tens of thousands more invented the applications and services that make it so useful to us today, and there is still room for each one of us to create new things on and through the Web. This is for everyone.
Today, and throughout this year, we should celebrate the Web’s first 25 years. But though the mood is upbeat, we also know we are not done. We have much to do for the Web to reach its full potential. We must continue to defend its core principles and tackle some key challenges. To name just three:
- How do we connect the nearly two-thirds of the planet who can’t yet access the Web?
- Who has the right to collect and use our personal data, for what purpose and under what rules?
- How do we create a high-performance open architecture that will run on any device, rather than fall back into proprietary alternatives?
There are no easy answers to these, and many other questions. Remember though that the Web was built by all of us, and so we all can, and should, play a role in defining its future.
The Latest on: Internet Freedom
via Google News
The Latest on: Internet Freedom
- How the debate over holding internet platforms accountable is changing under Bidenon March 1, 2021 at 5:00 am
Section 230 has been a 'brick wall' for anyone seeking to sue internet companies over user-generated content, but bills and legal strategies under consideration could represent an opportunity to ...
- Ted Cruz yells 'freedom' at CPAC, Internet compares it to 'I Have a Scream' speech that 'canceled' Howard Deanon February 26, 2021 at 12:18 pm
Sen. Ted Cruz's speech at this year's Conservative Political Action Conference where he shouted 'freedom' angered several on social media who went on to compare his speech to former Governor Howard De ...
- Ted Cruz screams ‘FREEDOM’ at CPAC, becomes instant memeon February 26, 2021 at 10:33 am
A clip of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) screaming "freedom" at the top of his lungs at CPAC is spreading across the internet like wildfire.
- Plan for Cyber Volunteers to Police India’s Internet Draws Criticismon February 25, 2021 at 4:20 pm
India’s Home Ministry has developed plans to create a cybercrime division made up of volunteers who will police the internet for evidence of crimes, including child abuse, terrorism and anti-national ...
- China turning into world’s worst abuser of Internet freedomon February 24, 2021 at 4:00 pm
While the whole world has entered into an era of freedom and expression where people are getting more digitally connected, the Chinese government aims to extend the control of cyberspace beyond its ...
- Though some felt it was for their ‘safety’, others asked what internet shutdowns say about ‘Digital India’.on February 23, 2021 at 5:08 am
Mohit Rana doesn’t have the heart to tell his parents that he was unable to apply for the Haryana staff selection commission-combined graduate level exam. “They won’t understand,” he said. “They will ...
- MTN Uganda Unveils Bigger Freedom Bundleson February 23, 2021 at 1:31 am
MTN Uganda unveils bigger freedom bundles that last indefinitely with no validity date in a bid to serve its customers with higher volume data needs.
- Finding My Way: Katherine Bates vs. the Interneton February 21, 2021 at 9:30 am
It’s no secret that America’s problem with divisive and destructive hate speech has proven more difficult to cure than Covid.
- Time Out boss: Tech giants have destroyed internet freedomon February 19, 2021 at 7:01 am
The unbridled power of tech giants such as Google and Facebook has destroyed the concept of internet freedom, the boss of Time Out has said.
- How China's national security law threatens internet freedom in Hong Kongon February 18, 2021 at 5:03 am
At least two websites have been blocked in Hong Kong, as Beijing continues to tighten its grip on civil society through the national security law. Experts say the move could mark an attempt to erode ...
via Bing News
