WORLD
Tim Berners-Lee launched his vision for an alternative web
Baku, October 3, AZERTAC
Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the world wide web, posted a blog on laying out his vision to create a new, decentralized web, Business Insider reports.
Berners-Lee has expressed his discontent with the way his invention has been abused by powerful entities to pursue their own agendas. He wants to give users more personal control over their data and apps using his new platform, Solid.
Berners-Lee has been a vocal opponent of big tech companies abusing user data, calling for more regulation.
Firstly, he pointed to his open-source project Solid, which he has been working on over the past few years. With Solid, Berners-Lee hopes to give users much more control over their data, allowing them to decide which of their apps can access it.
"Solid is a platform, built using the existing web. It gives every user a choice about where data is stored, which specific people and groups can access select elements, and which apps you use," he wrote.
He also launched a new company, Inrupt, which will provide a commercial structure within which to push Solid forward.
"Inrupt's success is totally aligned to Solid's success. It will be the infrastructure allowing Solid to flourish. Its mission is to provide commercial energy and an ecosystem to help protect the integrity and quality of the new web built on Solid," Berners-Lee said.
"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. Today, I believe we've reached a critical tipping point, and that powerful change for the better is possible — and necessary," he added.