Berners-Lee Warns Rise of Dominant Platforms has Resulted in Weaponization of the Web at Scale

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Berners-Lee Warns Rise of Dominant Platforms has Resulted in Weaponization of the Web at Scale

By CircleID Reporter
March 12, 2018, 8:34 pm PDT Views: 10,574 Comments: 1

The World Wide Web turned 29 today and Sir Tim Berners-Lee, web inventor, has shared some stern warnings about the direction it is headed. In a post published in Web Foundation website commemorating the anniversary, Berners-Lee warns “the web is under threat” and shares his views on what is needed to ensure global access to a web “worth having.” He writes: “The web that many connected to years ago is not what new users will find today. What was once a rich selection of blogs and websites has been compressed under the powerful weight of a few dominant platforms. ... the fact that power is concentrated among so few companies has made it possible to weaponise the web at scale. In recent years, we’ve seen conspiracy theories trend on social media platforms, fake Twitter and Facebook accounts stoke social tensions, external actors interfere in elections, and criminals steal troves of personal data. ... A legal or regulatory framework that accounts for social objectives may help ease those tensions.”

By CircleID Reporter

CircleID’s internal staff reporting on news tips and developing stories. Do you have information the professional Internet community should be aware of? Contact us.

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The internet imbalances risk Michael Elling – May 13, 2018 11:14 PM

Without an ingrained settlement system, risk is one-sided on the internet, namely the receiving side. The sender bears little or no risk. That’s why the silo-ed systems have developed that we see today. Until the developers understand better and implement an economic system of incentives and disincentives, we will continue to see growing wealth and digital divides along with polarization and lack of trust.

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