The document discusses the evolution of the web, emphasizing the distinction between the internet and the web, with the latter focusing on human communication and information sharing. It highlights the challenges posed by competition among technology companies leading to a fragmented web, as well as the potential for an open web reclaimed through human rights advocacy and legislative efforts. The author calls for web scientists to engage in effective communication and influence policy to foster a better future for the web.

1. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The Future(s?) of the Web
Jim Hendler
Tetherless World Professor of Computer, Web and Cognitive Sciences
Director, Institute for Data Exploration and Applications
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
http://www.cs.rpi.edu/~hendler
@jahendler (twitter)
Major talks at: http://www.slideshare.net/jahendler

2. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The Web today…
• The Best Description I could find of the current state of the
World Wide Web

3. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The Web today…
• The Best Description I could find of the current state of the
World Wide Web was written in 1859!
– It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of
wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it
was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the
season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of
despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we
were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other
way …
(Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859)

4. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The 30th birthday??
March 12, 2019
Was hailed as
30th birthday of
the Web

5. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The Internet and the Web are NOT the same thing
Internet invented late 1960s
Key protocols:
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
Internet Protocol (IP)
Joined as TCP/IP
inventors (among others)
Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn

6. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Vague but exciting …
The Internet and the Web are NOT the same thing
Web proposed late 1989
Key protocol:
Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP)
inventor
Tim Berners-Lee

7. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The Internet and the Web are NOT the same thing

8. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Who cares?
TCP/IP
The Internet protocol focused on communications between
machines

9. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Who cares?
The Web hypertext system focused on the information moving
between the machines
TCP/IP
“Edge network applications”

10. WE are the Web!
The Web focused on communication between people!

11. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The need to understand the Web

12. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The Web Science “circle” – ca. 2007

13. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Readable version (Tim Berners-Lee, Lovelace Lecture, 2007)

14. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Readable version (Tim Berners-Lee, Lovelace Lecture, 2007)
PEOPLE
PEOPLE

15. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Readable version (Tim Berners-Lee, Lovelace Lecture, 2007)
*Magic*
*Magic*

16. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Nigel Shadbolt, 2007

17. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Nigel Shadbolt, 2007

18. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
…
2008 2018

19. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The challenge posed ca. 2008

20. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Evolution?
• Viewing the web through an evolutionary lens
(Workshop 7, Tuesday)
– Niches
– Eco-systems
– Emergence
– In-breeding vs. cross-breeding
– Social evolution
– …

21. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Has grown as the Web has changed …
The Web as development platform

22. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The web itself became a development platform
Social
networking
The Web as development platform

23. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The web itself became a development platform
Social
networking
E-commerce
The Web as development platform

24. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
The web itself became a development platform
Mobile Application versions
The Web as development platform

25. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Through all these platforms information is collected
and shared
What gets
displayed
for whom
for how
much is
based on
what is
known
about you
This
information
is brokered
and shared
between
businesses
- without
transparency
to the user

26. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Web Future - Dystopian
• Competition between
companies for different
world markets
– Eg Google v. Baidu
• Competing financial
interests leading to lack
of (user) interoperability
• Fragmented App
markets
Fragmented Web driven by competing interests

27. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Web Future - Dystopian
Fragmented Web driven by competing interests
In recent years, we’ve seen governments engage in state-
sponsored trolling to quash dissent and attack opposition.
We’ve seen hacking and foreign interference distort politics
and undermine elections. And we’ve seen how the spread of
fake news on social media can trigger chaos, confusion and
lethal violence
Berners-Lee, ‘18

28. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Web Future 2
• It was the best of times …

29. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Web Future – the Open Web reclaimed
Re-opening of Web driven by human rights
• Governments can
legislate openness
– GDPR an example
• Users demand Web “bill
of rights”
– E.g. Berners-Lee’s analogy
with laws of open oceans,
open space, etc.
US Politician, CA rep R. Khanna, platform

30. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Web Future – the Open Web reclaimed
Re-opening of Web driven by human rights

31. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Your role in this future
• What do web scientists need to do to help build
this future?
– This meeting has shown many great examples of what
kind of excellent research web scientists can do
– But it is not enough….
• We must learn to communicate*
• We must shape what we do into policies
* Think “bus driver”

32. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Web Science in Action!
• Joint US and Europe ACM Technology Policy on Principles
for Algorithmic Transparency and Accountability (2017)
Awareness
Access and redress
Accountability
Explanation
Data Provenance
Auditability
Validation and Testing
https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/public-
policy/2017_joint_statement_algorithms.pdf

33. Tetherless World Constellation, RPI
Web Science Related Policy Statements (past three months)
• ACM USTPC Statement on Privacy and Security for online
meetings
– https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/public-
policy/securityprivacyvirtualmeetings-statement.pdf
• ACM Europe TPC Statement on Contact Tracing
– https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/public-
policy/europe-tpc-contact-tracing-statement.pdf
• ACM USTPC Statement on Face Recognition
– https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/public-
policy/ustpc-facial-recognition-tech-statement.pdf

34. WE are the Web!
Which will it be?

35. WE are the Web !
It’s a far, far better thing we (can) do….