We Back Sir Tim Berners Lee's Contract for the Web

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web, has warned of a the dangers that come from misuse of the internet.

Lee will unveil a series of standards in Berlin today over fears of increasing online threats such as electoral interference by foreign powers, hate speech, invasion of privacy and disinformation.

Sir Tim’s World Wide Web Foundation has put together a Contract for the Web which calls on governments, companies and members of the public to ensure the web is a safe, free and open platform for all.

The commitment has been backed by hundreds of organisations, including Google and Facebook. It can be signed by both individual and organisations. For what it's worth HoL has signed up.

Lees comments come after Sacha Baron Cohen, the British actor behind Ali G and Borat, said in a speech to the Anti-Defamation League that Facebook and other social media outlets were spreading “hate, conspiracies and lies”.

He said that the “twisted logic” of Facebook’s decision not to fact-check political advertisements was that, had the company existed in the 1930s, it would have permitted Adolf Hitler to post 30-second ads on his “solution” to the “Jewish problem”.

Find out more and sign up at contractfortheweb.org.