Why I Gave the World Wide Web Away for Free: Tim Berners-Lee’s Vision for an Open Internet
By Tim Berners-Lee, The Guardian, September 28, 2025
When I first conceived the idea of the World Wide Web at the age of 34, I was captivated by the potential of combining two existing technologies: the internet and hypertext. I imagined a global information space where anyone could easily navigate documents interconnected by links. This concept was not just about technology but also about enabling creativity and collaboration on a worldwide scale.
At the time, I worked at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and I dedicated myself to pitching and explaining this idea—whether in meetings or sketches on whiteboards, even once drawing the web in the snow during a day off. Initially, my managers described the idea as “a little eccentric,” but they eventually allowed me to pursue it.
The key to the web’s success, I realized early on, was accessibility: for the web to become truly valuable, everyone everywhere needed to be able to use it—and to do so freely. Charging users to browse, search, or upload content would have hampered adoption and creativity. Therefore, in 1993, I persuaded CERN to release the World Wide Web’s intellectual property into the public domain, giving it away to everyone free of charge.
Looking at the web today, I am compelled to reflect on whether it remains free in spirit or in practice. Unfortunately, not entirely. The rise of massive platforms has transformed much of the web into a marketplace where users’ private data is harvested extensively and traded with commercial entities or even authoritarian regimes. This commodification of personal information contradicts my original vision of a web that empowers users rather than exploits them.
Moreover, algorithms designed to maximize engagement often promote addictive behaviors and adversely affect mental health, particularly among young people. Instead of being customers, users have increasingly become the product—our data is sold or shared without our full knowledge or control. This has led to real-world harm including the spread of misinformation, psychological distress, and social fragmentation.
But all is not lost. We have the tools and knowledge to restore power to individuals. Over a decade ago, my team and I developed Solid, an open-source, interoperable standard that places users in control of their data. Solid-enabled applications must explicitly request access to your data, and you decide what to share. Instead of personal information scattered across countless silos controlled by different corporations, Solid allows your data to reside securely where you control it.
People generate enormous amounts of data—from biological metrics captured by smartwatches to financial transactions and social media activity. Yet, these data exist in mutually incompatible silos, making it difficult for individuals to harness the full value of their personal information. You own your actions, preferences, and choices, and you deserve the power and freedom to be fully empowered by them.
Between my early vision of Web 1.0 and the rise of Web 2.0 driven by social media, the internet took a problematic turn. Today, at another pivotal crossroads, the question is whether artificial intelligence will be developed and governed to benefit society or to its detriment. Policymakers must act with urgency to avoid the mistakes of slow regulation that plagued social media. We need governance structures for AI that are proactive, transparent, and inclusive.
In 2017, I proposed a hypothetical AI assistant named Charlie—an AI that would work on your behalf, bound by law and ethical standards like a trusted doctor or lawyer. Similar frameworks should govern AI development in practice to prevent monopolistic control and misuse of personal data.
Moving forward requires a shift not only in technology but in governance. Governments have struggled to keep pace with digital innovation, while the AI industry remains dominated by commercial competition that does not necessarily serve individual or societal interests. The web was born from international collaboration at CERN, a not-for-profit environment created after World War II by governments committed to scientific progress. We need a similar model today—an independent global body to steer AI research and ensure its benefits are accessible and equitable.
I gave the World Wide Web away for free because I believed that it could only thrive if it worked for everyone. That conviction is more relevant now than ever before. Though the challenges are significant, political will and collective action can restore the internet as a space for collaboration, creativity, and compassionate connection across cultures. It is still within our reach to reclaim the web as a tool for all humanity.
Tim Berners-Lee is the inventor of the World Wide Web and author of This Is for Everyone (Macmillan).
Recommended Reading:
- The Innovators by Walter Isaacson
- The Web We Weave by Jeff Jarvis
- The History of the Internet in Byte-Sized Chunks by Chris Stokel-Walker
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