Tim Berners-Lee, who wrote the computer codes 30 years ago that made the Internet possible, has become disenchanted with his creation… so, he’s designing an alternative.
Unhappy about the hordes of personal data, as well as the power and control, amassed by giant corporations such as Amazon and Google, Berners-Lee has created Solid, which he calls a “mid-course correction” that will shape the Internet he originally envisioned – secure, decentralized, and collaborative.
In the re-envisioned, Solid version of the Internet, your personal data is stored in a secure “pod”; only you decide who can see it or use it. With your permission, a company can see your data to process a credit application or send you information about a product, for example, but that permission would extend only to that task.
To access anything in your pod, someone uses a unique authentication code assigned for that user and that task; no one can just plant cookies, sneak in, and rummage through your files.
Companies are not able to store your personal information.
Data kept in pods are stored in a linked format, making it accessible and interoperable across currently incompatible applications and platforms and enabling smooth collaboration on documents and projects.
To create this alternative Internet, Berners-Lee and his collaborators have created Inrupt, a start-up designing open-source Solid software for early clients, which include Britain’s National Health Service and the government of Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium.
TRENDPOST: Data sharing across incompatible platforms has become a focus among tech companies, and few would complain if the Internet did a better job of protecting privacy. Berners-Lee has the reputation and skills to draw both clients and talented developers to realize his alternative Internet, as well as individual customers seeking refuge from hackers, Big Tech, and other prying eyes. Solid has a solid chance of survival and success, although it’s unlikely to replace the compromised Internet we live with now.
