Web creator on a mission to solve data privacy woes

Dubai - The British scientist was the keynote speaker during the Gitex Technology Week in Dubai.

The inventor of the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, is on a mission to give power back to the people through a new web platform that will allow users to have "complete control of their data".
The British scientist was the keynote speaker during the second day of the Gitex Technology Week in Dubai, where he spoke about an open-source project, called Solid, and a new company he has founded, Inrupt.
He's calling Solid and Inrupt.com as the "next stage of the web", which will allow developers to create decentralised apps that operate on data that is completely owned by users. Only users will be able to decide if they want to store their data and whom they want to share it with.
"I've always believed the Web is for everyone. That's why I and others fight fiercely to protect it," Berners-Lee said. "Today, I believe we've reached a critical tipping point, and that powerful change for the better is possible - and necessary." A platform built using the existing Web, Solid gives its users a choice about where data is stored, which specific people and groups can access the elements, and which apps they use, he said.
"It allows you, your family, and colleagues to link and share data with anyone. It allows people to look at the same data with different apps at the same time," Berners-Lee added. 
Meanwhile, Inrupt will provide the necessary infrastructure for Solid to grow further. It will give Solid "commercial energy" and an ecosystem to help protect "the integrity and quality of the new web built on Solid."
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com