Contract for the Web
{{short description|Initiative to shape a better internet}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
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Contract for the Web is an initiative by the World Wide Web Foundation in November 2019 to attempt to address issues of political manipulation, fake news, privacy violations, and other malign forces on the internet.{{sfnp|Sample|2019}}
History
The initiative is the product of work for more than a year by over 80 people drawn from government, businesses and the general public.{{sfnp|BBC Staff|2019}}{{Sfnp|Cellan-Jones|2019}}
Initiative
{{quote box|text=The Contract for the Web gives us a roadmap to build a better web
|author=Tim Berners-Lee{{Sfnp|BBC Staff|2019}}
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The plan outlines nine central principles, three each directed at governments, companies and individuals.{{sfnp|Sample|2019}}{{Sfnp|Cellan-Jones|2019}} It was launched 25 November 2019 by Tim Berners-Lee of the World Wide Web Foundation,{{Sfnp|Cellan-Jones|2019}} occurring before the start of the UN Internet Governance Forum meeting in Berlin.{{Sfnp|CNA Staff|2019}}
Endorsing governments, companies and individuals make commitments to protecting the web from abuse and ensuring it benefits humanity.{{sfnp|Sample|2019}} The commitment is understood to be non-binding.{{Sfnp|Sky Staff|2019}}
=Principles=
Contract for the web indicates principles 1 to 3 are for governments, 4 to 6 are for companies, and 7 to 9 are for citizens:{{Sfnp|Official website|2019}}
- "Ensure everyone can connect to the internet".{{Sfnp|Official website|2019}}
- "Keep all of the internet available, all of the time".{{Sfnp|Official website|2019}}
- "Respect and protect people’s fundamental online privacy and data rights".{{Sfnp|Official website|2019}}
- "Make the internet affordable and accessible to everyone".{{Sfnp|Official website|2019}}
- "Respect and protect people’s privacy and personal data to build online trust".{{Sfnp|Official website|2019}}
- "Develop technologies that support the best in humanity and challenge the worst".{{Sfnp|Official website|2019}}
- "Be creators and collaborators on the Web".{{Sfnp|Official website|2019}}
- "Build strong communities that respect civil discourse and human dignity".{{Sfnp|Official website|2019}}
- "Fight for the Web".{{Sfnp|Official website|2019}}
Adoption
By launch the plan was backed by over 150 organisations including names such as Google, Microsoft and Facebook.{{Sfnp|BBC Staff|2019}} Despite backing the plan, Facebook appeared to be ignoring Berners-Lee's request to Mark Zuckerberg to cease targeted political adverts for the 2019 United Kingdom general election.{{Sfnp|Cellan-Jones|2019}} Yasmin Alibhai-Brown gave the opinion in the United Kingdom's 'i news': "It’s just good PR and a fun game for the megalomaniacs who will carry on doing their worst".{{Sfnp|Alibhai-Brown|2019}}
References
{{Reflist|refs=}}
Sources
- {{cite news|last=Alibhai-Brown|date=25 November 2019|first=Yasmin|newspaper=i news|title=The new 'contract for the web' is just good PR for the tech megalomaniacs who will carry on doing their worst|url=https://inews.co.uk/opinion/contract-web-tim-berners-lee-facebook-microsoft-google-1324113|access-date=26 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191126181903/https://inews.co.uk/opinion/contract-web-tim-berners-lee-facebook-microsoft-google-1324113|archive-date=26 November 2019|url-status=live|author-link=Yasmin Alibhai-Brown}}
- {{Cite news|last=BBC Staff|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/50517962|date=25 November 2019|access-date=25 November 2019|website=BBC Newsround|title=Contract for the Web: Sir Tim Berners-Lee launches global action plan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125114547/https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/50517962|archive-date=25 November 2019|url-status=live}}
- {{cite news|last=Cellan-Jones|first=Rory|date=24 November 2019|work=BBC|title=Sir Tim Berners-Lee attacks Tories over misinformation|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50539795|access-date=25 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125090701/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50539795|archive-date=25 November 2019|url-status=live|author-link=Rory Cellan-Jones}}
- {{Cite news|last=CNA Staff|date=25 November 2019|title=Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee launches plan to stop Internet abuse|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/web-inventor-tim-berners-lee-launches-plan-stop-internet-abuse-12123526|access-date=25 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125193812/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/web-inventor-tim-berners-lee-launches-plan-stop-internet-abuse-12123526|archive-date=25 November 2019|url-status=live}}
- {{cite web|last=Official website|date=25 November 2019|url=https://contractfortheweb.org/|access-date=25 November 2019|title=Contract for the Web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125062936/https://contractfortheweb.org/|archive-date=25 November 2019|url-status=live}}
- {{cite news|last=Sample|first=Ian|date=24 November 2019|newspaper=The Guardian|title=Tim Berners-Lee unveils global plan to save the web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/nov/24/tim-berners-lee-unveils-global-plan-to-save-the-internet|access-date=25 November 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125235036/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/nov/24/tim-berners-lee-unveils-global-plan-to-save-the-internet|archive-date=25 November 2019}}
- {{Cite news|last=Sky Staff|date=25 November 2019|url=https://news.sky.com/story/www-inventor-sir-tim-berners-lee-warns-of-digital-dystopia-as-he-launches-web-contract-11869743|access-date=25 November 2019|title=WWW inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee warns of 'digital dystopia' as he launches 'web contract'|website=Sky News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125134438/https://news.sky.com/story/www-inventor-sir-tim-berners-lee-warns-of-digital-dystopia-as-he-launches-web-contract-11869743|archive-date=25 November 2019|url-status=live}}
Further reading
- {{cite web|last=Berners-Lee|first=Tim|date=25 November 2019|title=IGF 2019 – Day 0 – Saal Europa – Launch Of The Contract For The Web - RAW|url=https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/igf-2019-–-day-0-–-saal-europa-–-launch-of-the-contract-for-the-web-raw|access-date=27 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191126190835/https://www.intgovforum.org/multilingual/content/igf-2019-%E2%80%93-day-0-%E2%80%93-saal-europa-%E2%80%93-launch-of-the-contract-for-the-web-raw|archive-date=26 November 2019|url-status=live}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- [https://contractfortheweb.org/ Official website]
{{CC-notice|cc=by4|url=https://contractfortheweb.org/}}