Berners-Lee Launches Ambitious World Wide Web Foundation

Tim Berners-Lee has been such a creative force in the development of the Internet that when he steps forward with an announcement, people take notice.

Berners-Lee, the director of the World Wide Web Consortium, which oversees the Web's continued development, on Sunday launched the World Wide Web oundation, saying he hopes the Web can become even more global in scale and open to the entire planet.

According to the foundation's Website, it "seeks to advance One Web that is free and open, to expand the Web's capability and robustness, and to extend the Web's benefits to all people on the planet. The Web Foundation brings together business leaders, technology innovators, academia, government, NGOs, and experts in many fields to tackle challenges that, like the Web, are global in scale."

Berners-Lee and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation launched the World Wide Web Foundation Sunday at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

He said the next phase of the Web will be changed by three developments -- technology innovation, Web science and the application of the Web for the benefit of underused communities.

"The mission of the Foundation," Berners-Lee said in a speech at the announcement, "is to advance One Web that is free and open, to expand the Web's capability and robustness, and to extend the Web's benefits to all.

"The Web Foundation is in the unique position of being able to learn from the results of projects to accelerate the evolution of the Web," he said.

Steve Bratt will be CEO of the World Wide Web Foundation.

"Our success will be measured by how well we foster the creativity of our children," he said. "Whether future scientists have the tools to cure diseases. Whether people, in developed and developing economies alike, can distinguish reliable healthcare information from commercial chaff. Whether the next generation will build systems that support democracy, inform the electorate, and promote accountable debate."