The inventor of the World Wide Web has called for a global digital Bill of Rights similar to the Magna Carta to protect internet users, as the medium he created marked its 25th anniversary yesterday.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee called on the world to take a stand against surveillance on the web – and suggested that the independence of the World Wide Web should be treated as a human rights issue.
In an interview broadcast on BBC Breakfast, Sir Tim said people who use the web should be able to use it to communicate without being blocked or feeling that somebody is “looking over our shoulder”.
“The people of the world have to be constantly looking out for it – constantly making sure, through action, protest, that it doesn’t happen,” he said.
“Are we going to continue on the road and just allow the governments to do more and more control, more and more surveillance?
“Or are we going to going to set up a bunch of values? Are we going to set up something like a Magna Carta for the World Wide Web and say, actually, now it’s so important, so much part of our lives, that it becomes on a level with human rights?”
He said the web should be accessible to all and the principles that have made it successful defended.
“The web’s billions of users are what have made it great. I hope that many of them will join me in celebrating this important milestone,” he said.
“I also hope this anniversary will spark a global conversation about our need to defend principles that have made the web successful, and to unlock the web’s untapped potential. I believe we can build a web that truly is for everyone: one that is accessible to all, from any device, and one that empowers all of us to achieve our dignity, rights and potential as humans,” he added.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Sir Tim said he shared concerns over the use of the web for elements such as child pornography. He said the web was “humanity connected” and showed the “wonderful” but also the “ghastly” side of humanity.
“I don’t have a lot of sympathy with people who say there is so much rubbish on the web... if it is rubbish, then don’t go and read it, go and read something else,” he added.
Sir Tim’s remarks calling for a digital Bill of Rights to protect internet users follow revelations about the activity of intelligence and security organisaiton GCHQ contained in documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Anne Jellema, chief executive of Sir Tim’s Web Foundation, said privacy is fundamental to freedom of expression and the bulk of data stored by companies without our knowledge is concerning.
She said there are challenges for the web on its 25th anniversary, including defending the right to freedom of expression and privacy online, openness on the web and ensuring that everybody can afford to get online.
The chief executive also expressed concern about the “increasing centralisation of services on the internet” as well as more of the world’s data going “through a handful of companies”.
She added that they provide great services but expressed concern about the unintended consequences, including security risks and the potential for what we see online to be “filtered by commercial services”.
Jellema called on governments to invest more in web public access programmes and praised “positive examples” of governments which have accepted the web as part of a strong democracy citing Estonia and Costa Rica.
“About 60 per cent are still not connected at all, (yet) access to the internet is just as important as water or electricity,” she added.