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Inventor of World Wide Web says it must change

Internet - Level 0

The World Wide Web is thirty years old. Its inventor is worried about how people use it and the future of the Web. People don't know if the Web is "a force for good". It can help billions of people, but we must build a better Internet. The inventor said: "If we give up on building a better Web...we will have failed the Web."

The inventor had three worries about the Web. He called it a "mirror of humanity" where "you will see good and bad". The first worry is behavior like hacking. New laws must keep people safe. A second worry is social media spreading fake news. A final worry is about privacy. It is important to fight for a better, free and safer Web.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Internet - Level 1

The World Wide Web is thirty years old. Its inventor is concerned about how people are using it. He is concerned about the future of the Web. He wrote that many people weren't sure about if the Web was "a force for good". He thinks it can be and that it can help billions of people. Governments and companies must build a better Internet. He said: "If we give up on building a better Web now, then the Web will not have failed us. We will have failed the Web."

The inventor had three worries about the World Wide Web. He called it a "mirror of humanity" where "you will see good and bad". The first worry was criminal behavior like hacking and harassment. New laws must keep people safe. A second worry is how social media spreads misinformation and fake news. People were tricked during the 2016 US presidential election. A final worry is about privacy. It is important to fight for a better, free and safer Web.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Internet - Level 2

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The World Wide Web is thirty years old. Its inventor has written about it on the 30th anniversary. He was worried about how people are using the Internet and its two billion websites. He is concerned about the future of the Web. He wrote that he knew many people felt unsure about whether the Web was "a force for good". He believes it can be and that it can empower billions of people. He believes governments and companies must build a better Internet. He said: "If we give up on building a better Web now, then the Web will not have failed us. We will have failed the Web."

The inventor had three main worries about the World Wide Web. He said it was a "mirror of humanity" where "you will see good and bad". The first worry was criminal behavior, like hacking and online harassment. Governments must pass laws to keep people safe. A second worry is how social media spreads misinformation, especially fake news. Many people were tricked during the 2016 US presidential election and the UK Brexit vote. A final worry is about people's privacy. The inventor stressed the importance of fighting for a better and safer Web. He wants it to be free to use.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Internet - Level 3

The World Wide Web is now thirty years old. Its inventor, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has spoken about his creation on its 30th anniversary. He said he was worried about how people are using the Internet and its two billion websites today. He also said he is concerned about the future of the Web. He wrote a letter saying he knew many people felt unsure about whether the Web was "a force for good". He believes it can be a force for good and can empower billions of people. He wrote that he believed governments and companies must work together to build a better Internet. He said: "If we give up on building a better Web now, then the Web will not have failed us. We will have failed the Web."

Sir Tim had three main concerns about the World Wide Web. The first was criminal behavior, like state-sponsored hacking and online harassment. He described it as a "mirror of humanity" where "you will see good and bad". He said governments must pass laws to keep people safe. A second thing that worried Berners-Lee is how social media is used to spread misinformation. The past few years have seen a rise in fake news. In particular, how people were tricked during the 2016 US presidential election and the UK Brexit vote. Berners-Lee is also worried about people's privacy and personal information. He stressed the importance of fighting for a better and safer Web and keeping it free for everyone to use.

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25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson