THE creator of the internet, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has built a new product geared towards returning the power of data back to the general population.
In response to the growing threat of data-hungry internet enterprises, Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s new initiative, Inrupt, is aiming to decentralize the web and rewrite the rules of online business with its new open-source project, Solid.
The web “has evolved into an engine of inequity and division; swayed by powerful forces who use it for their own agendas.” Berners-Lee explained in a blog post, adding:
“Today, I believe we’ve reached a critical tipping point, and that powerful change for the better is possible?—?and necessary”
At the recent Techonomy conference in Half Moon Bay, Berners-Lee announced that the project is already available to developers and highlighted the potential for journalists who may need enhanced privacy and data security to protect their sources.
Berners-Lee described Solid as an alternative to Big Tech data centers, allowing users to instead store their information in personal online data stores, or “pods.” which would allow companies access only when the user granted permission.
Solid’s “pods” are just one piece of the Solid ecosystem, however. In addition to independent data storage, Berners-Lee envisions a much larger environment including decentralized applications built using tools from the Inrupt website.
One of Berner-Lee’s ideas is to build a new version of Amazon’s Alexa which he calls Charlie.
For Berner-Lee, Charlie will provide all of the benefits of the e-commerce giant’s digital assistant, except users will remain in control of data obtained by Charlie.
This means users will be able to trust Charlie with their financial and health records, private events, and more.
Berner-Lee hopes that these apps will shake-up the power dynamics between consumers and the tech behemoths that currently rule the web:
“Solid changes the current model where users have to hand over personal data to digital giants in exchange for perceived value. As we’ve all discovered, this hasn’t been in our best interests. Solid is how we evolve the web in order to restore balance?—?by giving every one of us complete control over data, personal or not, in a revolutionary way.”
Perfect Timing
Sir Tim Berner-Lee’s timing couldn’t be better. The tension between the average consumer and Big Tech is becoming increasingly palpable. With high-profile breaches becoming more frequent and larger in scale and severity, consumers are looking for alternatives.
From cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology to the outright deletion of social media apps, it’s clear that users are tired of being ‘the product,’ and the general negligence from Big Tech towards data security that comes with it.
According to a new report by digital security specialists Gemalto, over 4.5 billion records have been compromised in the first half of 2018./Michael Kern, Medium.com