Web needs rethink to stop 'nasty' ideas spreading, says its creator

Reuters ^ | 10 April 2017 | Jemima Kelly and Huw Jones |

[Lorianne]

The World Wide Web needs a complete rethink to prevent spying and the spread of "nasty, mean ideas" on social media websites, its inventor, Tim Berners-Lee, said on Monday.

Berners-Lee, a London-born computer scientist who invented the Web as a platform on top of the internet in 1989, said his intention in building it had been for the public to "do good stuff" and share ideas among each other, as was the case with websites such as Wikipedia.

Instead, negative ideas were proliferating on social media sites in particular, he said, while privacy was also being compromised by online spying.

"We need to rethink the way we build society on top of these web pages," he told the Innovate Finance global fintech summit in London.

"How come nasty, mean ideas, seem to have traveled more prevalently than constructive ideas on Twitter sometimes? Is that the way it has been designed? Could Twitter be tweaked?"

Social media has become active in polarized political campaigns such as the U.S. presidential elections and Britain's referendum on membership of the European Union last year.

[Lorianne]

More totalitarians crawl out of the woodwork.

Do they want to control the printing press as well?

[thesharkboy]

Web needs rethink to stop 'nasty' ideas spreading, says its creator

Will we ever stop hearing from Al Gore?

[abb]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrenheit_451

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury, published in 1953. It is regarded as one of his best works.[3] The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and “firemen” burn any that are found.[4]

[JimRed]

Nasty ideas, like abiding by the Constitution, the rule of law and basic decency?

[Red Badger]

Samizdat here we come..................

[Little Ray]

Gee, is this guy having a hard time with the word “Censorship?”

[Opinionated Blowhard]

That horse left the barn a long, long, long time ago Tim.

[I want the USA back]

Just who is going to decide what’s bad and what’s good? Eh? you fascist!

[Little Ray]

Back to dial up modems and BBSs.

[mountn man]

Nasty ideas, like abiding by the Constitution, the rule of law and basic decency?

Yup...everything that the democrat party opposes.

[lee martell]

Mr. Berners-Lee probably feels like Dr. Frankenstein by now;
a mixture of feelings, bristling with pride, fright, repulsion and amusement. In this case, though, there is no consensus from the townsfolk on how to handle The Beast.
Some want to attack it with governmental pitchforks and torches, while others want to clone it, but in their ideal image as a weaponized snooping device.

[Red Badger]

....and ‘war dialers’..................

[BenLurkin]

“nasty, mean ideas”

Like Socialism?

[Lady Heron]

If you need to stop free speech it is because you are not winning the argument in a free and open discussion.

You are the problem not the speech.

[Enchante]

oooh those nasty ideas..... Yet we’re told by Elizabeth Warren that “nasty women” are wonderful.

[glasseye]

Liberals always reach for the censorship lever whenever they lose control of the narrative.
Every time.

[TexasRepublic]

It all comes down to who gets to define nasty.

[headstamp 2]

OK Einstein, define “nasty”.

[snarkpup]

Human nature needs a rethink. Good luck with that.

[bk1000]

If posting BS on the internet was not anonymous, much of the BS would cease.