35 years ago today, the World Wide Web changed our lives forever — as Tim Berners-Lee says, ‘trading personal data for use certainly does not fit with my vision for a free web’

Thirty-five years ago, the World Wide Web was born, forever altering our daily lives. Developed by British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee while working at CERN, the web's initial purpose was to streamline document storage, updates, and sharing among the organization. The concept quickly gained traction, becoming an essential tool for research institutions before being released to the public in 1991.

Its fundamental principles of freedom, decentralization, and openness were vital to its success, allowing anyone to create a website and implement hyperlinks without fees or central control.

Today, it's hard to imagine life without the Internet, whether through web browsers or smart home devices. However, the creator of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, has a message that resonates strongly in our modern era. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Berners-Lee lamented how much the web has shifted from its original vision of openness and collaboration.

He expressed concern over large platforms harvesting users' personal data for commercial gain, unrestricted algorithms feeding addictive content to teenagers, and the spread of harmful information leading to violence and misinformation. These issues, amplified by AI, pose significant challenges to creating a free and beneficial web.

Berners-Lee suggests that strong AI governance and guidance from organizations driven by collaboration and individual needs could help restore the web's original spirit. Despite the growing threats to the web's core values, he remains hopeful, stressing that "It's not too late" to reclaim the web for its intended purpose.