Thread by @timberners_lee

#Covid19 has made clearer than ever that the web is not a luxury but a lifeline. Yet, over 3.5 billion people still can’t get online.

Governments and companies need to act now to make sure that everyone, everywhere can connect. 1/10

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

A gross digital divide holds back almost half of the world at the moment it most needs the web. This divide is most acute in developing countries. Across Africa, only 1 in 4 people can access the internet. 2/10

Women in particular are excluded. Men are 21% more likely to be online — rising to 52% in the world's least developed countries. 3/10

webfoundation.org/2020/03/the-ge…

The challenge extends to the wealthiest nations too. In the UK, 60,000 children have no internet at home and device poverty stops many more from learning online. In the US, an estimated 12 million children live in homes without broadband connectivity. 4/10

We must extend the web to more people as quickly as possible. @A4A_Internet, an initiative of the @webfoundation, has outlined steps governments and companies can take now. 5/10

docs.google.com/document/d/1b4…

But we must look beyond this crisis. As Covid-19 changes our lives, we have an opportunity for big, bold action. We must recognise the web as an essential utility which governments and companies should work together to deliver as a basic right. 6/10

Governments must lead the way by investing in infrastructure, public access and digital literacy initiatives. Service providers must invest in network performance, reliability and coverage so that everyone is within reach of high-quality connectivity. 7/10

We can all play a role & help make sure that everyone is able get online and share the benefits we enjoy. Call for action from your government. Support a tech NGO like the @webfoundation. Back the Contract for the Web. 8/10

contractfortheweb.org

Just as the world decided that electricity and water are basic needs that should reach everyone, now is our moment to fight for the web as a basic right.

Let’s be the generation that delivers universal internet access. 9/10

For more on how we can make sure everyone can turn to the web in times of need or normality, read my op-ed in @guardian. 10/10

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…