British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee, who is credited with inventing the world wide web 25 years ago today, called for an online Magna Carta to protect the rights of users against corporate and governmental assault.
He told The Guardian an open, neutral Internet is needed to promote transparency in government, democracy, improved healthcare, connected communities and cultural diversity.
TBL believes a “global constitution or bill of rights” is needed for the WWW. His Magna Carta plan is part of the global “web we want” initiative to promote the digital rights of citizens with support from the private and public sectors.
In light of the Edward Snowden revelations, TBL sees an urgent need to rein in the surveillance of citizens by security agencies such as the National Security Agency and Britain’s GCHQ.
TBL sees WWW 25th anniversary as an opportunity to highlight security overreach, free speech and privacy issues so people regain control and “define the web we want for the next 25 years.”