Story map
Follow the question, method, turning points and impact behind this person's work.
The question or challenge
How could researchers share linked information across different computers and organisations?
Their work and method
Berners-Lee proposed the web at CERN, built its first server and browser, and developed foundations including URLs, HTTP, and HTML.
Turning points
CERN placed the web software in the public domain in 1993 and later used an open licence, helping adoption spread.
Impact
Work can create value and still involve limits or trade-offs. Look at both sides of the impact.
Positive
- +The web transformed global publishing, communication, and collaboration.
Trade-offs
- ±Openness alone does not guarantee safety, equity, privacy, or trustworthy information.
- ±An open system enabled access and innovation but also misinformation, surveillance, exclusion, and concentration of power.
What to remember
If you had to explain this story to a friend, what would you want them to remember?
- Separate documented choices from counterfactual stories.
- Map benefits and harms beyond direct users.
- Open standards still need responsible governance.
Featured in these lessons
Open the lessons where this story appears in the learning experience.
Explore skills
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Sources & further reading
- CERN, Where the Web Was Born - https://home.cern/science/computing/the-birth-of-the-web/where-web-was-born/
- W3C, Tim Berners-Lee biography - https://www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee-Bio/