The World Wide Web Turns 30: What Did We Want and What Happened?

Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, stated on the 30th anniversary of his invention that due to the rise of hate speech, privacy concerns, and increased activities of state-sponsored hackers, the web now faces painful and significant challenges and must be improved for humanity's use. On Tuesday, March 12, 1989, he participated in a ceremony at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the web's inception based on his proposal. His invention opened the door to a technological revolution, transforming the ways of communication, exchanging ideas, accessing information, purchasing goods, and many other activities of human societies. However, the internet has also become a tool for large companies to access users' personal information, for rival and hostile governments to spy, for election manipulation, and for the spread of hate speech, which is far from its original mission of facilitating cooperation and communication between individuals and progressive ideas. Statistics from 2018 show that half of the world's population has access to the internet, while the other half still faces many challenges in accessing the web. In his speech at CERN, Berners-Lee expressed that like many internet users, he believes that 'today's web is not the web we wanted in every way.' Through the 'World Wide Web Foundation,' he is working to encourage governments, companies, and citizens to play a more active role in shaping the global internet for better purposes. This program is called the 'Web Contract.' This contract calls on all governments worldwide to ensure that all citizens have access to the internet and to respect users' privacy and personal information. It also urges technology and commercial companies to lower the cost of internet access, respect users' private information, and invent technologies that prioritize 'public interest.' He also asks citizens to use this network for creativity and collaboration and to respect standards such as 'civilized discourse.' Berners-Lee stated that 'the Web Contract is essentially a collaboration with others who accept the content of this contract in the form of working groups and finding practical ways to achieve the goals of this contract.' He emphasized that finding a proper balance between oversight and freedom on the web is very important, but reaching an agreement on this balance is difficult. The web's inventor added, 'For example, what should the optimal balance be between complete freedom of action for internet companies and regulations on their operations? Or where is the optimal balance between freedom of expression and the dissemination of hate speech?' The conference, attended by internet and new technology experts, was also an occasion to emphasize the credibility and history of CERN as a place for nurturing new ideas. Mr. Berners-Lee worked at this institute in the 1980s, and the invention of the web was the result of his research to create a bridge between different computer systems for transferring and recording information.