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Three challenges for the web, according to its inventor

Web Foundation · March 12, 2017

 

[rtbs name=”web-birthday-2017″]

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  1. Lana

    March 12, 2017

    Please correct spelling in your heading copy/pasted:Today is the world wide web’s 28th birthday. Here’s a message from our founder and web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee on how the web has evolved, and what we must do to ensure it 'fulfils' his vision ....

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    1. Web Foundation

      March 12, 2017

      Hi Lana, thanks for flagging! Fulfil is the British spelling ;)

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    2. Ilan Peer

      March 12, 2017

      Thank you.

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      1. Dimitri

        March 12, 2017

        He has not defined ‘The true potential of this tool’, a goal is not defined so what do you expect from life?! Sure they want money, drugs, rock and roll and breed. What else? Not everyone is a naive nuclear scientist with a moral.

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        1. Keri

          December 28, 2018

          Bravo ! Well said dear sir. I say we should get this campaign going full speed ahead. I myself have envisioned my personal life sold online and it has not been a pleasant year at all whatsoever. Wish there was more each of us can put out there to reach more, to get everyone to SEE and HEAR and SPREAD this message to every corner of the web... Maybe if we rally together, it can SPREAD farther and possibly OPEN EVERYONE'S eyes.

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        2. Marcel

          March 14, 2017

          Unfortunately we've lost control of the web. May ingeniours perform blockchain system like to secure the web.Malheureusement nous avons perdu le contrôle du Web. Puisse les ingénieurs améliorer le système du Blockchain afin de sécuriser le Web.

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          1. Vinit Kumar

            March 14, 2017

            The issues pointed here are of importance these days especially in the era of Post-truth and fake news. In my opinion, some other nonprofit institutions such as libraries can also support in spreading the awareness about the probable solutions mentioned by Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

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            1. Marduk

              March 14, 2017

              Identifying fake news becomes more challenging when supposedly reputable news outlets give misleading or outright false information. Take for instance a Washington Post headline claiming Putin ordered hacking of the US election; the last paragraph notes that the people making the claim say there is no evidence for it. WaPo and the NYT repeatedly reference a CIA report without mentioning that the report has a disclaimer that it should not be taken as factual. In 2013, the CIA gave Jeff Bezos $600 million to get control of Washington Post servers, and they never mention that. They never remind people that the CIA lied about WMDs in Iraq, or that they themselves did. The whole of the legacy media should be treated as fake news, only useful in finding topics of interest for which to search out the primary sources.

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              1. Chris Murphy

                March 15, 2017

                I wonder if a lot of people see the internet as separate from actual reality. I believe that it in fact depicts, more clearly than ever before, exactly how humans think and behave, and what we're capable of. It's easy to blame the advent of the internet for a deterioration of morality but is it not just a digital manifestation of who we already were? Perhaps it enables us to better understand human nature in both it's glory and it's shame, and in exposing how ideas spread, how we choose to conduct ourselves and how people shape reality, it gives everyone a clearer understanding of how good and evil come about and as a result creates an opportunity for us to modify our thoughts and actions. The Internet is often described as an echo chamber of thoughts but this is not a new phenomenom. Actually we have always generally only engaged with others who share our own established opinions and we generally perceive the world from a relatively narrow perspective as a result of our engrained beliefs and habitual patterns of behaviour.If the internet were to become a wholly positive and productive medium it would be the result of a major shift in human conciousness, which could now be possible as a result of individuals enhanced visibility of collective global cause and effect and how our own actions or apathy contribute to the status quo.Implementing controls over how the internet is utilised is unlikely to change the way we are, only through education and working together to develop new ideas can we do that; the internet is an ideal tool for this. As the most intelligent species on our planet we hold the power to become better people and each play our part in creating a sustainable and peaceful future.The internet enables us to monitor, record and adapt our journey and evolve as individuals and therefore as a race.That's what I reckon anyway...

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                1. adrian rawson

                  November 22, 2018

                  Brilliant! I welcomed the spread of communication through the web as a power for good, but in recent years have started to doubt it. Its expansion through the monetisation of personal data has skewed its usefulness. The web must be paid for, so is it time to buy back our data and decline the 'free lunch'?Whatever the solution, your comments on human nature should sit front and centre of the decision process. In my humble opinion.

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                2. HOMERO SILVA NOBOA

                  March 15, 2017

                  Icompletely agree with you.I think the problems you mentioned will be the oposite side of the actual web, because nothing in it will be true.It is time the cientists be working in alternatives . thank you for the article.

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                  1. bz

                    March 19, 2017

                    I'd like to see you post an article on current best practice in the way of best browsers, search engine use, turning off tracking, making clear how personal data is sold on etc

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                    1. Afolabi Achiever

                      March 13, 2018

                      I buy your idea Vinit Kumar

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                      1. Kevin Hartung

                        March 18, 2018

                        Thank you for putting out this much needed letter or article that people across the world need to be able to read and understand. The only thing or people that are missing from your proverable table is the very people and companies that have craeated the very fundamental infrastructure of the internet (I.e. 4g, 5g) in which we all used to do what it is that we claim to be doing.

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                        1. Daniel Stump

                          May 6, 2018

                          We must fight against government over-reach in surveillance laws. So true.Just wanted to mention that the link for the donation is not working.... -> http://donations.webf2.staging.wpengine.com/Cheers, Dan

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                          1. eureka

                            July 31, 2018

                            Thank you! May decentralization help!

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                            1. Laila

                              August 16, 2018

                              Your inventing the web changed this century, Sir Tim Berners-Lee!

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                              1. Laila

                                August 16, 2018

                                Your inventing the web changed this century, Sir Tim Berners-Lee!

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                                1. foreign mama

                                  October 31, 2018

                                  We must fight against government over-reach in surveillance laws. but many over look it like it notting, it time for us too stand and fight for our right

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                                  1. bedding

                                    December 8, 2018

                                    we should fight to teach govt to do best for public and provide all facilities to their population.

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                                    1. Samuel Nice

                                      January 27, 2019

                                      Thank you! May decentralization help!

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                                      1. 360Lumia

                                        February 8, 2019

                                        Thanks for this useful article.I will bookmark this website.

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                                        1. Flora McEvedy

                                          March 18, 2019

                                          Dear Sir Tim,It is great that you have decided to maintain a public interface through W3C and that your open letter marking the 28th anniversary of the first steps towards the WWW is there for all to read.Yet what timing that the horrific livestream footage from the Christchurch shooting should co-incide with the Web's thirtieth birthday.I wonder if now might be a good moment for you to speak out again on the thorny issue of virtual controls in this dark hour?We all embrace the web, what it can do for us and how it has transformed our lives. As its creator you are deified; your words have power and people will listen and hopefully follow through....All the best,Flora McEvedy

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                                          1. Robert

                                            July 25, 2019

                                            Thanks for sharing information Sir Tim. The problem is not new but as old as human being. We cannot solve the problem in the name of WWW. It is only the tool which is a newer version of stone boards on which you can write and give or hit somebody. It depends ...The tool cannot give people the freedom because the freedom is already in their heard. The freedom to love and live or hate and die ... forever.

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                                            1. Boateng Chris

                                              January 14, 2021

                                              The issue of personal data is of much urgency that needs to be tackled with immediate effect. I side with you on all the other listed points though.

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