The worldwide computer network we know as the Web turns 35. Although it is absolutely essential to any area of ​​our society and human development today by connecting billions of people, the man who pushed for its creation is not happy with the direction it has been going in recent years.

On March 12, 1989, Tim Berners-Lee published a proposal that eventually took shape in World Wide Web. His original goal had little to do with the global network we use today, namely that the physicist only intended to create a mechanism that It saves you going from one building to another at the University of Oxford, providing a solution to the incompatibilities present in the computers of the learning center.

A year after the initial proposal, which defined a hypertext or hypermedia document distribution system linked and accessible via the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee worked as a CERN employee with other scientists to revise the original ideal, which had begun as a formal proposal. in 1991.

From there, the story is more familiar. Utilizing what was then the largest Internet hub in Europe, the research led to many of the advances we enjoy today because They created the first browser, the first web directory, the first global web server, thereby making the first client-server communication using the HTTP protocol. His group essentially created all the tools needed for a complete system to manage the information we share on the Internet.

Although the Internet, defined as interconnected communication networks using the TCP/IP family of protocols, had already been created, and hypertext (on which the World Wide Web is based) dates back decades, Berners Lee’s great credit is just that, both. It wasn’t the original goal, but his research group defined the concept that eventually became the system distribution of information over the Internet which are used by billions of people today.

The website is celebrating 35 years, but the challenges are getting bigger

The headline with which we celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary serves as the title of this post ten years later. The same can be said about the open letter published by Tim Berners-Lee, because the problems not only persist, but have increased.

“Father of the Web” dissatisfied with the site’s drift and comes demanding and A more secure, private and neutral internet, which since its inception has fulfilled its main goal: an open platform that allows anyone, anywhere to share information and offers opportunities for access and collaboration across geographic and cultural boundaries. For the new anniversary, he repeated the same idea that he had expressed in recent years.

“Three and a half decades ago, when I invented the web, its trajectory was unimaginable. There was no plan to predict the course of his development, it was a thrilling odyssey full of unforeseen opportunities and challenges.describing. “The first decade of the web accomplished its goals: it was decentralized with a long list of content and options, created smaller and more localized communities, provided individual empowerment, and fostered tremendous value”.

“However, in the last decade Instead of embodying these values, the web has contributed to their erosion.«says Tim Berners-Lee. “The consequences are increasingly transcendental. From the centralization of platforms to the AI ​​revolution, the web serves as the foundational layer of our online ecosystem, an ecosystem that is now reshaping the geopolitical landscape, driving economic change, and impacting the lives of people around the world..

“Five years ago, when the web turned 30, i betrayed some of the dysfunction caused by the vested interests of various corporations taking over the web, eroding the values ​​of the web and causing disruption and damage.”clarifies. “Now, five years later, as we approach the web’s 35th anniversary, the rapid development of artificial intelligence has exacerbated these concerns, showing that the web’s problems are not isolated, but rather deeply intertwined with emerging technologies.”.

Commitment to change the site

Tim Berners-Lee, along with other brilliant computer scientists and researchers such as Internet pioneer Vint Cerf and Internet Archive head Brewster Kahle, proposed a “Web Contract” to restore trust and increase access to the Internet on fair and affordable terms. encouraging governments, businesses and individuals to work together.

To this end, he is collaborating with researchers from MIT (the best technology university on the planet with 80 Nobel laureates) and other centers to develop Solid, an open source project that aims to “restore the power of individuals to the web”radically changing the WWW by giving the digital citizen full control over their data. “Innovative market solutions are also necessary for this process”emphasizes. “Progressive legislation from governments around the world can facilitate these solutions and help manage the current system more effectively”.

Also the father of the web it requires the commitment and responsibility of the users themselves: “We, as citizens around the world, must commit to and demand higher standards and greater accountability for our online experiences. “The time has come to confront the shortcomings of the dominant system while catalyzing transformative solutions that empower individuals.”.

“This emerging system, full of potential, is growing, and the tools to control it are at our fingertips”. assures Berners-Lee, but “It needs the support of the people who are leading the reform, from researchers to inventors to advocates. There is a need, an urgent need, for others to do the same, to support the morally courageous leadership that is emerging, to collectivize their solutions and transform an online world dictated by profits into a world dictated by needs. about humanity. Only then will the online ecosystem we all live in reach its full potential and lay the foundation for creativity, collaboration and compassion.”. Amen.