Inventor of World Wide Web Tim Berners-Lee developing decentralized internet

MANILA, Philippines – Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the computer scientist who invented the World Wide Web, has a new ambitious project in development – a decentralized internet.

The open source project called Solid is a set of modular specifications which will build upon the current technology of the internet, as first reported by Fast Company.

When these specifications are used together, they enable “exciting new possibilities for websites and applications” such as create a collaborative read-write space where control is passed from server owners to users. This gives users control of who has access to their personal data including what they read and write on the web.

“Solid changes the current model where users have to hand over personal data to digital giants in exchange for perceived value. As we’ve all discovered, this hasn’t been in our best interests,” Berners-Lee wrote in a blog post. “Solid is how we evolve the web in order to restore balance  –  by giving every one of us complete control over data, personal or not, in a revolutionary way”

Berners-Lee, who has been openly critical of the current state of the internet, said that the few dominant tech companies can weaponize the web and create barriers for competitors.

“There is a wave of concern, and related energy, desperate for change. People want to have a web they can trust. People want apps that help them do what they want and need to do  –  without spying on them. Apps that don’t have an ulterior motive of distracting them with propositions to buy this or that. People will pay for this kind of quality and assurance,” he explained.

This is why he created Inrupt, a startup that will promote and ensure Solid is widely adopted by developers, businesses, and eventually everyone, similar to the today’s internet.  

Berners-Lee reportedly plans to take a break from his duties at MIT and reduce involvement with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to spend more time talking and presenting Solid and Inrupt across the globe.

While the the Inrupt team understands that there’s still a lot of work to be done, they believe Berners-Lee’s project can create new opportunities never seen before.

“In the web as we envision it, there are opportunities for everyone. Entirely new businesses, ecosystems and opportunities will surely emerge and thrive. And we’ll need hosting companies, application providers, enterprise consultants, designers and developers. The list goes on. But the real opportunities are all the businesses yet to be invented,” the Inrupt team wrote in their website. – Rappler.com