Tim Berners-Lee: Data privacy, fake news and political advertising are the bane of the World Wide Web

If you’re reading this, you can thank Tim Berners-Lee, the man who created the world wide web. The very fabric of our current existence only exists because this man submitted a paper 28 years ago, envisioning the creation of a free, open network to “share information, access opportunities and collaborate without boundaries.”

So, 28 years, later, what does he think of his creation?

Writing for The Guardian , Lee outlines just this. Here’s what he had to say.

Our data isn’t ours anymore

Lee points out that today, the business model involves exchanging services for information. We freely hand over our personal data to companies in exchange for their services. Lee believes this is wrong as we’re not given control on how our data is handled, once we hand it over.

Governments have been known to misuse the data, especially in oppressive regimes, and even “safer” governments like the US are doing their level best to access this data and monitor everyone. Lee believes that this is unhealthy.

Lee wants the web as a “space to explore important topics such as sensitive health issues, sexuality or religion.” He believes that surveillance undermines all of these beliefs.

Fake news

Yes, even Lee is worried about fake news. The internet made it easy to spread information and even easier to spread misinformation. He’s amazed at the speed at which misinformation (fake news) can spread through just “a handful of social media sites and search engines”.

He explains that sites that deal in fake news are only doing it to “harvest” clicks and for financial and political gain. This must stop.

Political advertising

Lee’s biggest issues appears to be with political advertising. He says that these vast pools of personal data have enabled politicians to target people like never before. He points out that during the recent US elections, as many as 50,000 different types of ads were being targeted at different users.

What’s worse, these ads were being used to direct people to fake news sites and feeding off of people’s biases.

This is unethical, says Lee. “Is that democratic?”, he asks.

What’s the solution?

The situation is complex, but Lee believes that solutions are available. For example, he suggests that companies focus on newer revenue models that are based around micro-transactions and subscriptions. He suggests that companies hand people back control over their data and even talks about personal data pods.

He also insists that we fight government surveillance and “overreach”, “through the courts if necessary.” He also insists that we “push back” against the likes of Google and Facebook and ensure that they do what it takes to fight fake news and the menace it poses to us.

Lastly, he says that we need more “algorithmic transparency” to understanding how decisions impact our lives. Filter bubbles must die, especially in the context of political campaigns.

In the end, Lee says, “I may have invented the web, but all of you have helped to create what it is today.” He adds that his Web Foundation, an organisation that is fighting to “advance and protect the web for everyone”, is researching the larger issues facing the world wide web and working on solutions.

The internet is for everyone and we must build the web we want, he says.