Sir Tim Berners-Lee Voices Concern Over Web's Direction

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, has expressed significant concern regarding the web's current trajectory. He notes its divergence from his initial vision of a free and democratic platform universally accessible to everyone. Berners-Lee is now collaborating with others to restore user control over the web.

Web Evolution and Commercialization

Berners-Lee attributes an early pivotal shift in the web's development to the commercialization of the domain name system during the 1990s. He suggests that a nonprofit, public-interest management model would have been more beneficial for its growth. The pursuit of profit subsequently became a significant factor in the internet's design.

By 2016, events such as the US elections revealed the web's potential for negative impacts, which Berners-Lee described as devastating.

In a June 2024 blog post, Berners-Lee acknowledged the web's broad benefits, encompassing email, video conferencing, health information access, and creative tools. However, he identified a