TECH

Father of the World Wide Web says the internet is in danger
On the day of the 29th anniversary of the World Wide Web, its founder, Tim Barners-Lee, holds the pessimistic discourse on the dangers that plague the internet, according to an open letter on the official website of the Web Foundation. Last year he had touched on topics such as political propaganda, the impact of "fake news" and, above all, the loss of control of personal data.The letter states that more than half the world's population is online, but that the inequalities between those who have access and those who are deprived of the Internet constitute a very serious global threat. Tim Berners-Lee says it is necessary to close this gap by running the risk of a generation falling behind in 2042, noting that in 2016 the UN decreed access to the internet as a human right, such as drinking water, food, shelter and electricity. To achieve this goal, public access solutions via Wi-Fi or community networks must be found to give examples.
Tim Berners-Lee also pointed to the companies, stressing "what was once a rich selection of blogs and websites, is now focused on the powerful weight of some dominant platforms that control which ideas and opinions are viewed and shared." Their concern is projected for the next 20 years, saying there will be less innovation as big companies continue to acquire startups that can become their competitors, buy new inventions and put the best talent in the industry to work for themselves.
In his letter, he goes on to say that the power concentrated in so few companies "made it possible to turn the web into a weapon", referring to the bad examples practiced in social networks, such as conspiracy theories, social tensions generated by false Twitter accounts and Facebook, external interventions in elections and the theft of personal data.
Still, the computer scientist recognizes that companies are aware of the problems and are making efforts to correct them. For example, Facebook recently decided to introduce the "breaking news" tab to combat fake news spam. But to combat companies that have been built to make the most possible profit than working for the social good, a legal or regulatory framework that is responsible for social objectives should be created.Still pondering on the future of the platform, Tim Berners-Lee wants to demystify two aspects related to the Internet. The first is that advertising is the only possible business model for online businesses, and the second is that it's late to change the way platforms work. The British scientist finalized his letter appealing to creativity and "challenging all of us to have greater ambitions for the web. I want the web to reflect our hopes and fulfill our dreams, instead of broadening our fears and deepening our divisions. "

Sapo