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Well, it was 1989, and the internet already existed in that you could send email, but
there was no websites. So there was the HTTP. There was no HTML. There was no space of things
you could click through. And it began because I was frustrated it didn't exist. I imagined
a system where you just click from one to another and that was so compelling that I
decided I wanted to build it. I'm proud of the spirit of collaboration which was the
last 25 years. You know, it wasn't just me. I had the idea. I invented this, and then
in fact it was taken up by all kinds of people all over the world. I'd get email from somebody saying,
"Hey Tim. I've built up a web server with a dinosaur exhibit on it." or "Hey, I've got an
art exhibit." And these people, I didn't know them. And they all collaborate together
and we have the World Wide Web consortium where people come. They all try to make the
technology better. They try to get a better basis for designing really cool websites.
That spirit of international collaboration has been absolutely awesome for the last 25 years.
If you actually think the power you have when you have a web browser, compared
to the power of somebody who doesn't. If you're starting a company, you want to start a company
in New York, and you just think of the name of a company and you search for it on the web,
and if the name's already been pulled off, eh you try for another one. You're in
an African village, and you don't have a web browser. You can't do that.You can start a
company, and then until later you realise somebody's done it somewhere else. There's
lots, lots of little things you do to do with health, to do with just keeping a family together,
so the difference in power that somebody's got on the internet compared to somebody who
hasn't is now huge. Also really important for democracy. If you are not connected to
the internet, how is your voice going to be heard? How are you going to make sure that
the values you think are being represented by all the governments out there? That's 25 years.
We need to think about the next 25 years, make sure that we establish the principles
that the web's being based on. Principles of openness, principles of privacy, principles
of not being censored for example.