Web Inventor Wants Net Access A Civil Right

The inventor of the Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has called for declaration of the right to access the Internet as a civil right across the world. “Finland has already accepted the right to access the Internet as a human right. People across the globe have a right to access the Internet as much as any other civil right. It is being increasingly felt in all the countries,” he said.

Lee, regarded as the Father of Internet, was delivering the keynote address today on “Designing the Web for Open Society” at the 20th International World Wide Web Conference in Hyderabad. He is presently the Director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), a body that sets benchmarks and standards for the Internet. He is also the Director of the World Wide Web Foundation, launched in 2009 to fund and coordinate efforts to further the potential of the Web to benefit humanity.

“The principles of democracy, where all are equal irrespective of race, colour, class, wealth or nation, are embodied in the Web today,” Lee said.Referring to the recent revolution in Egypt, Lee recalled how the Web had played a major role in the exchange of ideas during the revolution. “Today, Egypt is communicating online with the people. The common man is in a position to give feedback to the government,” he said.

Pointing out that the Web was a powerful tool, if used in the right manner, he said it was important to ensure that large corporations or governments did not control the Internet.