Today I called on #UNGA to lead a global push to connect everyone to the web. Here’s why.
Every year since I invented the web, its importance in people’s lives has grown. At the same time, the gap between those who are and are not connected has grown too.
Web access promotes and protects social justice. It provides opportunities that should be available for everyone. It contributes positively to almost all of the #SDGs — from reducing inequalities and driving economic growth, to boosting health outcomes.
Digital technology increasingly underpins access to essential services, including food, water, energy, and healthcare, as well as critical pillars of government and democracy.
We must therefore urgently work for a digital future that is safe, empowering, and includes everyone.
As digital citizens, we can all fight for this web.
I’ll continue to work with @webfoundation and our partners, and I urge everyone to join us by backing the Contract for the Web.
Together we can change the web and the world for the better.
Today marks a huge milestone in @Inrupt’s journey to deliver on my vision for a vibrant web of shared benefit and opportunity. I’m thrilled that the first enterprise-ready version of a Solid Server is now available for businesses and organizations 1/6 inrupt.com/products/enter…
I founded @Inrupt to trigger an inevitable shift in how the web operates, to mobilize resources and set a long-term direction in motion. Today that shift takes a significant step. 2/6
These technologies will fundamentally change how organizations connect people with their data and create value together. It’s going to drive groundbreaking new opportunities that not only restore trust in data but also enhance our lives. 3/6
COVID-19 underscores how urgently we need a new approach to organizing and sharing personal data. time.com/5867314/we-nee… 1/6
Think of all the data your life has accumulated through the various applications you use - social gatherings, frequent contacts, recent travel, health, fitness, photos, and so on. Why can none of that information be combined and used to help you, especially during a crisis? 2/6
I, with a growing number of dedicated engineers, have been working on a different kind of technology for the web: Solid. It’s an update to the web - a course-correction - that provides you with a trusted place to store all your digital information inrupt.com/solid 3/6
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
This is a serious moment for the web’s future. But I want us to remain hopeful. The problems we see today are bugs in the system. Bugs can cause damage, but bugs are created by people, and can be fixed by people. 1/9
I can imagine Mark Zuckerberg is devastated that his creation has been abused and misused. (Some days I have the same feeling #justsaying) 2/9
I would say to him: You can fix it. It won’t be easy but if companies work with governments, activists, academics and web users we can make sure platforms serve humanity. 3/9