World wide web has become a Frankenstein’s monster: Creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee admits his brainchild is now ‘an engine of inequity and division’ as he launches audacious bid to fix it
Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the world wide web in 1989 with egalitarian ideas
Now, he says it is ‘swayed by powerful forces who use it for their own agendas’
He is launching a startup called Inrupt so users can take back control of data
By KHALEDA RAHMAN and MEGAN SHEETS
DAILYMAIL.COM
1 October 2018
The inventor of the world wide web has admitted that he’s become disillusioned by his creation because it has become ‘an engine of inequity and division.’
Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the web in 1989 with the idea that the sharing of information would benefit all mankind – but now, he says it is ‘swayed by powerful forces who use it for their own agendas.’
In a blog post, the 63-year-old spoke of how the public have developed a mistrust of apps that ‘have an ulterior motive.’
In the wake of the breach of millions of people’s Facebook data by Cambridge Analytica, he revealed he has been working on a new online platform that would help users regulate the personal information they share online and how the data is stored.
‘I’ve always believed the web is for everyone,’ he wrote.
‘That’s why I and others fight fiercely to protect it. The changes we’ve managed to bring have created a better and more connected world.
‘But for all the good we’ve achieved, the web has evolved into an engine of inequity and division; swayed by powerful forces who use it for their own agendas.’
He added: ‘Today, I believe we’ve reached a critical tipping point, and that powerful change for the better is possible — and necessary.
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