The Web Has Values

Robin Berjon,
The New York Times

One way to look at the Web is as…

digital infrastructure
for human knowledge and interactions,
designed & governed to benefit people and
to protect them against excessive concentration of power.

That's a mouthful!

Designed with Values

The Web is not random technology plugged together

W3C has a mission, including notably that the Web is For All and is human-centred.
The Technical Architecture Group (TAG) has documented our ethical principles.
We follow Web Design Principles, most famously that people come first.

Neutrality?

No technology is morally neutral

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.

– Desmond Tutu

In Practice

By default, the Web must be:

Tron-style graphic — I Fight For The Users!

safe,
private,
international,
accessible,
fast, and
capture-resistant.

The Web Has Values

One way to look at the Web is as…

Designed with Values

The Web is not random technology plugged together

Neutrality?

No technology is morally neutral

In Practice

By default, the Web must be:

For Everyone

Thank you!