Connecting People. Empowering Humanity.
The World Wide Web Foundation was established in 2009 by Web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee to tackle the fundamental obstacles to realizing his vision of an open Web available, usable, and valuable for everyone.
The Web is the most powerful tool for communication in the history of humanity, creating the potential for all people to participate in building a more peaceful and equitable world.
However, only a small minority of people – mainly urban, male, and affluent – are part of the Web’s global conversation. Despite the recent surge in mobile internet access, nearly two-thirds of the world’s people (mostly in the developing world) are still not connected at all. And once connected, what people are able to do on and with the Web is increasingly threatened by government controls, as well as by certain commercial practices.
We seek to establish the open Web as a global public good and a basic right, ensuring that everyone can access and use it freely.
The foundation is unendowed and relies on charitable donations and partnerships to carry out its work. A registered charity in Switzerland and the USA, we have offices in Boston, Geneva, and Cape Town.
Our success will be measured by how well we foster the creativity of our children. Whether future scientists have the tools to cure diseases. Whether people, in developed and developing economies alike, can distinguish reliable information from propaganda or commercial chaff. Whether the next generation will build systems that support democracy and promote accountable debate. I hope that you will join this global effort to advance the Web to empower people.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web,
Founder of the World Wide Web Foundation.
The mission of the Web Foundation is to empower all people through the power of the Web. This requires that the Web become far more inclusive and become a much greater value for everyone. We achieve our mission through:
·Understanding the Web, including how people use it now, and why more than 70% of the planet does not use it.
·Exploring innovative applications of Web technologies, especially innovations that remove barriers to use.
·Building the capacity of developers and organizations in emerging economies to create new, accessible Web services that meet local needs and that can be replicated globally.
·Championing an open Web, and the work needed for the Web to become a medium of empowerment for all.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee Receives Inaugural Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering
Mar 18, 2013 • Justin Edwards
The Royal Academy of Engineering announced today that Sir Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the World Wide Web Foundation, is one of the recipients of the inaugural Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, which recognizes “outstanding advances in engineering that have changed the world and benefited humanity.” Berners-Lee shares the award …
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