Tim Berners-Lee Calls for Action to Protect the Worldwide Web’s Positive Transformative Impact

November 25, 2019 – I had the pleasure of meeting Sir Tim back in 1997 when I attended a talk about the birth of the Internet. I was an early adopter and had used its predecessor, Arpanet, in the late 1980s. When the Mosaic browser launched I was hooked on Berners-Lee’s invention. At the time I was convinced that the Worldwide Web would alter human destiny, refashion our global community, and have us working together to advance humanity in endeavours to solve the most intractable problems from hunger to disease, to war. I naively forgot about the dark side of our species and for a while saw the Web as fulfilling an Edenesque dream. But I don’t, now.

Sir Tim, however, still has that idealism for the invention he co-created, and through the Worldwide Web Foundation and along with like-minded others has created a Contract for the Web.

Yesterday it launched with a global plan of action to share it with the world so that the online world is safer and empowering for all of us. Aimed at global citizenry, governments, and companies, the contract lays down principles for the Web’s use by all. A summary of the contract highlights follows:

The role of government is to ensure anyone has access to the Internet including:

• Establishing affordable data costs by 2025 that do not exceed 2% of a person’s average monthly income.
• Broadband Internet access for at least 90% of citizens by 2030.
• Ensuring 70% of young people over age 10, and adults are given skills training by 2025 to use the Internet and information and communication technology.
• Maintaining uninterrupted Intenet connection for all with no restrictions through public policy or by borders.
• Establishing regulations to handle misinformation and disinformation while ensuring human rights to freedom of expression, peaceful association, and assembly online.
• Establishing enforcement of data protection and rights related to all personal data.

The role that companies are asked to play is to ensure that the Internet is affordable and accessible to all including:

• Supporting the development of community networks that are inclusive of all including gender, culture, languages, and religious beliefs.
• Minimizing access barriers to the Web for those with disabilities, and those with limited digital literacy.
• Making upload and download speeds symmetric to facilitate the work of users on the Web.
• Adopting network neutrality guidelines to ensure an open, unrestricted, and non-discriminatory Web experience.
• Giving everyone online control over their privacy and online data.
• Being accountable to regulators around collecting and processing data.
• Enabling controls over how personal data is collected and used.
• Adopting technologies that ensure the privacy and security of user data and communications.
• Making privacy and data rights equal for everyone.
• Respecting and supporting human rights as described by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
• Developing technologies that support the Web in the name of a public good that puts people first.

The role that we as citizens are asked to play is to ensure that the Web content remains rich and relevant for everyone including:

• Promoting open licenses for the sharing of information in the public interest.
• Sharing best practices in Web development.
• Advocating for technology standards that are open and accessible to all regardless of their abilities.
• Producing translations of content for minority languages.
• Building strong online communities that respect civil discourse and human dignity.
• Fighting for the web so that it remains an open and global public resource for now and into the future.

Advocating for unfettered, unrestricted access to the Web runs counter to currents flowing around the globe these days in many countries where access is being restricted in different ways. Russia is implementing its own Internet to ensure it shares only the “truth” as its government conceives it.  China has restrictions on the Internet with a Big Brother watchful eye being asserted on all its citizens. Other countries are restricting or contemplating moves to restrict Internet and Web access, while net neutrality is being assailed in the United States.

That’s why Sir Tim is inviting everyone whether an individual, or organization to endorse the contract. I have. Will you?