Since inventing the world wide web Tim Berners-Lee has been a tireless pioneer for internet rights, trying to extend his creation to as many people as possible across the globe.
In this vein he sat down to answer the questions from the users of Reddit, a content aggregator that has been a vocal proponent of net neutrality, as well as the principle of keeping the web open. This is what he has been working on, and what it holds for the future of our industry.
1. Net neutrality is ‘really important’
As referenced above, the computer scientist has long been defending the web, most recently against the squabbling telecoms companies trying to charge premium rates for higher speeds, and in favour of a doctrine known as "net neutrality".
"Net neutrality is really important," Berners-Lee said. "Basically we do so much cool stuff on top of the network layer, it has to remain an unbiased infrastructure for all our discussion, innovation, etc.
The fear is that if allowed to the telecoms companies could dictate how the Internet is run. "I must have the right to be able to communicate with whatever or whoever I want, without discrimination, be it political or commercial," he added.
2. ‘Battle of crypto might’ is no solution to privacy
Just as there is a struggle now to keep the internet open, there is also a battle to close down access to people’s personal lives, with privacy having been shaken by ubiquitous smartphone access and mass government snooping programmes revealed by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
In Berners-Lee’s view there is "no simple answer" to this. "Just a battle of crypto might is not a solution, we also need to change laws and change the structure of government agencies," he said.
For him the solution revolves around transparency and encryption. "We need to give the police certain power in exchange for transparency and accountability," he added. "And we need to encrypt email and web traffic everywhere, for general security."
3. He is ‘optimistic’ about tech and humanity
Working with the telecoms firm Nokia, Berners-Lee is campaigning to #MakeTechHuman, a project that hopes to shape technology towards the best interests of humanity.
As he put it, the future of the industry "is not a foregone conclusion". In his view people have a choice, and much can be done to improve or prospects through leglislation.
"These things are laws and tech standards and so on which actually we control," he said. "So it is up to us, where ‘us’ is humanity, and in general, about us, I am optimistic – so long as we keep our eyes on the prize."
4. Abuse of women ‘is a very serious issue’
Silicon Valley has grown increasingly concerned of how it deals with the fairer sex, both when it comes to mistreatment online and employment rates. Following International Woman’s Day many firms have launched campaigns to address this.
"I think in general boys need to learn early on to have and to show total respect for all women," Berners-Lee said, referencing women who feel they have been harassed off the internet.
"If you look back at your online behavior and realize you have made even one off-colour remark, then cringe and never do it again," he added. "It has a massive negative effect. It is not funny. It is not cute."
5. Data stores could ‘become commodities’
Decentralising the web is in some ways an extension of the peer-to-peer philosophy that built it, an idea which has grown in the public consciousness as people use torrents for filesharing without the need for a central server.
"In the Crosscloud project at [MIT computer science lab] CSAIL we are trying to break the link between apps and data, so you can use any app and tell it where to store the data where you control the data," Berners-Lee said.
For him this could be a game-changing development. "Data stores become commodities," he said. "That could be a first step to moving the data into more of a peer-peer system without conventional servers at all."
