2 March 2007

The web must respect the "basic values" of society and ensure accessibility to all individuals in future, according to the Director of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Sir Timothy Berners-Lee, addressing the US house of representatives with regards to the future of the Internet, claimed that the technology has the potential to help millions of people around the world, but should adhere to these values in order to do so.

The Internet must be "a universal platform; independent of any specific hardware device, software platform, language, culture, or disability", remarked the expert.

Additionally, he asserted that the future of the web will lie with handheld devices such as PDAs and mobile phones - creating new challenges for designers looking to offer accessible content on the smaller screens.

Sir Timothy is credited with inventing the World Wide Web by research centre CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, where the breakthrough was made.

© Adfero Ltd

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