As it was reported by The Guardian, Tim Berners-Lee, English scientist and father of the Web, has launched a global campaign to save the web from the destructive effects of abuse and discrimination, political manipulation, and other threats that plague the online world.
The »Contract for the web« outlines central principles that will be built into a full contract and published in May 2019, when half of the world’s population will be able to get online. More than 50 organisations have already signed the contract, which is published by Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web Foundation alongside a report that calls for urgent action.
Under the principles laid out in the document, which Berners-Lee calls a »Magna Carta for the web«, governments must ensure that its citizens have access to all of the internet, all of the time, and that their privacy is respected so they can be online »freely, safely and without fear.« Meanwhile, companies commit to making the internet affordable and accessible to all; respecting consumer privacy and personal data; and developing technologies that ensure the web is »a public good that puts people first«. The contract acknowledges that internet users have their own part to play and calls for people to make web content that is »rich and relevant«; to build communities that respect civil discourse and human dignity; and to fight for an open web that is »a global public resource for people everywhere«.
Berners-Lee concedes it will be hard to measure the success of the contract, which will be promoted through a campaign called #ForTheWeb. But he believes it will help steer conversations in governments and boardrooms, and give the public a means to hold the powerful to account.
Ian Sample, The Guardian,Tim Berners-Lee launches campaign to save the web from abuse (05/11/2018)
