The web can help govern Earth - Berners-Lee

Online collaboration could be used to manage the planet, says Tim Berners-Lee

Berners-Lee: the web could help us govern the planet

The worldwide web could one day be used to control systems and governments on a planetary level, according to its creator Tim Berners-Lee.

Lee spoke to the BBC as part of celebrations of the web's 15th birthday. The date 30 April 1993 is recognised as the day on which the system was made available to the public domain, creating a freely available means for accessing the internet.

But despite the rapid change of the past 15 years, Lee regards his creation as being "in its infancy." The innovator believes that in years to come the collaborative nature of the web could be used to oversee human activity on an enormous scale.

"What is exciting is that people are building new social systems, new systems of review, new systems of governance," said Lee.

"My hope is that those will produce... new ways of working together effectively and fairly, which we can use globally to manage ourselves as a planet."