Seeking Solid Ground
Welcome
![](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/issues/2021/244/welcome/casad_joe_2.png/781728-1-eng-US/Casad_Joe_2.png_medium.png)
Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web, has spent the past few years working on a vision for a new and better Internet. He showed up at the Reuters Next conference recently and gave an update.
Dear Reader,
Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web, has spent the past few years working on a vision for a new and better Internet. He showed up at the Reuters Next conference recently and gave an update.
Solid (Social Linked Data) [1] is a project led by Berners-Lee and developed in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The goal is to create a fully functioning Internet that gives users control of their own data. The project envisions "…a web where people can use a single sign-on for any service and personal data is stored in pods (personal online data stores), controlled by the user" [2].
As of now, the Solid project has progressed beyond the conceptual stage. Berners-Lee and others have even launched a start-up company called Inrupt that will market a Solid server, developer tools, and technical support [3].
The whole social media universe is based on one simple premise: I'll provide you with storage and lots of cool free services if you let me comb through your data and extract value from it. The people of the Earth have largely accepted this peculiar arrangement, but part of the reason for the acquiescence is that, generally speaking, most people don't think they have a choice.
The truth is that the core services that people love about social networking are mostly not that remarkable or unique – a little bit content management system, a little bit RSS feed, and a little bit of messaging – with some features of a personal information manager thrown in to round it out. The main reason people sign away their privacy is to gain access to others who have signed away their privacy – and also because the services are implemented in a tidy and convenient form that is easy to use. This precarious arrangement is then shored up through the power of monopoly.
In theory, it might be easy to pop the bubble that is the commercial social media industry by offering a similar collection of services without forcing users to give up control. The only way it works, though, is if people buy in at a massive scale. Inrupt has already signed up the British National Health Service, the BBC, and the government of Flanders, Belgium as customers, and they plan to announce more contracts in April. Make no mistake though: It will take a lot of support from many more organizations around the world to help something like this catch on. Would a new round of privacy laws and renewed government emphasis on open standards be enough to level the field and give this technology a chance? Probably not, but other sectors might help to tip the scales. For instance, another intriguing question is whether the hosting industry, which is much more competitive than the social media industry, will adopt Solid technology as a means of wresting some control from global giants like Google and Facebook.
Inrupt's vision of a world where users control their own data could help to create a freer and more private Internet, but it won't solve everything. If you search for something on Google, Google will still try to remember what you did. Also, the ambitious and visionary Solid project won't solve the other critical problem plaguing the Internet: freaky extremist thought bubbles that foment division and gum up civic discourse with conspiracy theories and lies. Tim Berners-Lee is working on that problem too. In November 2019, he launched another initiative called the Contract for the Web [4] designed to shine a light on all the critical problems facing the web, including fake news, bullying, and political manipulation. One of the core principles of the Contract for the Web is to "Build strong communities that respect civil discourse and human dignity."
I applaud Tim Berners-Lee for his bold vision and willingness to build on big ideas rather than just lamenting. Here's hoping we can dial back some of the madness and get to the Internet we always thought we would have.
Joe Casad, Editor in Chief
Infos
- Solid project: https://solidproject.org/
- "Father of the Web Tim Berners-Lee Prepares Do-Over": https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tech-bernerslee-interview/father-of-the-web-tim-berners-lee-prepares-do-over-idUSKBN29H1JK
- Inrupt: https://inrupt.com/
- Contract for the Web: https://contractfortheweb.org/
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.