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Internet Trolls Sir Tim Berners-Lee

The web polarises people, making them 'hateful' says Tim Berners-Lee

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By John McCarthy | Opinion Editor

October 24, 2014 | 3 min read

The founder of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee has expressed his sadness at the way the internet is exploited as a platform for trolling and argument, adding that his invention magnifies both the best and the worst traits humanity has to offer.

Tim Berners-Lee believes the net is an expansion of humanity

Speaking to BBC’s Business Daily during the opening of the London Science Museum opening, during which the Queen sent her first ever tweet, Berners-Lee commented on how his creation has been twisted by a minority of individuals.

On the web, Berners Lee said: “Everywhere I look I see a mass of energy, a huge amount of energy, and also in some places, they are using the web for organised protests against oppressive regimes, it appears that it is not the private medium we once thought.”

On trolls and the dark side of the web, he said: “I think it is human nature, we have always had a wonderful side - and a dark side - and the web is fairly accessible to those who wish exploit it.

“I had hoped that the web would provide tools and for a to break national barriers and provoke a better global understanding but it’s staggering to me that people who must have been brought up like anybody else will suddenly become very polarised in their opinions and will suddenly become very hateful instead of very loving.”

He concluded: “Maybe it’ll happen in the future, maybe we will be able to build web-based tools that help us keep people on the path of collaborating rather than fighting.”

Last month, the inventor called for an internet bill of rights to help protect the privacy of users.

Internet Trolls Sir Tim Berners-Lee

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