WWW creator says he’ll auction the World Wide Web source code as a NFT, starting at $1000
The creator of the World Wide Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee announced he’ll auction the original World Wide Web source code as an NFT.
Sotheby will be hosting the action titled “This Changed Everything” between June 23 and 30 in a standalone online auction.
“Three decades ago, I created something which has been a powerful tool for humanity,” said Sir Tim.
What will the NFT purchase include?
The NFT will include the time-stamped files containing the source code written by Sir Tim.
The WWW auction package will also include an animated visualisation of the code, a personal letter from the creator and a digital “poster” of the full code. Sir Tim will also digitally sign all parts of the NFT.
The full code amounts to nearly 10,000 lines of HTML, HTTP and URI in total, The code also includes the original HTML instructions for early web users.
“I sincerely hope its use knowledge and potential will remain open and available to us all to continue to innovate, create and initiate the next technological transformation, that we cannot yet imagine,” said Sir Tim.
“They are the ideal way to package the origins behind the web.”
Sir Tim Berners-Lee
What are NFTs?
NFT stands for “non-fungible token”. Each NFT is entirely unique, and cannot be replaced. Most NFTs form part of the Ethereum blockchain.
Sir Tim says NFTs are the web’s “latest playful creation” and the most “appropriate means of digital ownership that exists.”
“Why an NFT? Well, it’s a natural thing to do as when you’re a computer scientist and when you write code and have been for many years. It feels right to digitally sign my autograph on a completely digital artefact,” he added.
History of the World Wide Web
The “WorldWideWeb” application was the first hypermedia browser. It allowed users to create and navigate links between files across a network of computers.
Three decades later, that single server and website has turned into over 1.7 billion websites being accessed by 4.6 billion people around the world.
A mission to “re-decentralise” the web
Today, Sir Tim is working on a project called Solid, which aims to bring the web ‘closer to his original vision’ when things were completely open and without centralisation.
Sir Tim says the movement to “redecentralise” the web is gaining traction.
He hopes that the movement will empower users with ownership of their own data.
Natasha is an Associate Producer at ticker NEWS with a Bachelor of arts from Monash University. She has previously worked at Sky News Australia and Monash University as an Online Content Producer.
Tesla cut the U.S. prices of its Model Y, Model X and Model S vehicles by $2,000 each, days after the first-quarter deliveries of the world’s most valuable automaker missed market expectations.
Elon Musk’s electric-vehicle (EV) maker lowered the prices for its Model Y base variant to $42,990, while the long-range and performance variants are now priced at $47,990 and $51,490, respectively, according to its website.
The basic version of the Model S now costs $72,990 and its plaid variant $87,990. The Model X base variant now costs $77,990 and its plaid variant is priced at $92,900.
Tesla North America also said in a post on X said it would end its referral program benefits in all markets after April 30.
Referral program allows buyers to get extra incentives through referrals from existing customers, a strategy long used by traditional automakers to boost sales.
Musk has postponed a planned trip to India where he was to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announce plans to enter the South Asian market, Reuters reported on Saturday.
On Monday Reuters reported, citing an internal memo, that the EV maker was laying off more than 10% of its global workforce.
Earlier this month Reuters reported the EV maker had canceled a long-promised inexpensive car, expected to cost $25,000, that investors had been counting on to drive mass-market growth.
The EV maker reported this month that its global vehicle deliveries in the first quarter fell for the first time in nearly four years, as price cuts failed to stir demand.
Tesla is to report first-quarter earnings on Tuesday.
TikTok Notes has launched in Australia & Canada as a formidable competitor to Instagram, offering a unique platform for content creation, text and sharing.
“TikTok Notes is a lifestyle platform that offers informative photo-text content about people’s lives, where you can see individuals sharing their travel tips and daily recipes,” reads the official App Store description.
Take note
The app allows users to create content by combining short videos with text-based notes, closely resembling that of Meta’s Instagram.
Whether it’s sharing a quick tutorial, a personal anecdote, or a thought-provoking message, TikTok Notes is positioned to be a formidable social media platform.
Currently, the app is only available for download and “limited testing” in Australia and Canada.
As it gains momentum, the platform is poised to contest Instagram’s established reign in the social media landscape.
The United States’ longstanding advocacy for an open internet faces a critical juncture as Congress considers legislation targeting TikTok.
The proposed measures, including a forced sale or outright ban of TikTok, have sparked concerns among digital rights advocates and global observers about the implications for internet freedom and international norms.
For decades, the U.S. has championed the concept of an unregulated internet, advocating for the free flow of digital data across borders.
However, the move against TikTok, a platform with 170 million U.S. users, has raised questions about the consistency of America’s stance on internet governance.
Critics fear that actions against TikTok could set a precedent for other countries to justify their own internet censorship measures.
Russian blogger Aleksandr Gorbunov warned that Russia could use the U.S. decision to justify further restrictions on platforms like YouTube.
Similarly, Indian lawyer Mishi Choudhary expressed concerns that a U.S. ban on TikTok would embolden the Indian government to impose additional crackdowns on internet freedoms.
Moreover, the proposed legislation could complicate U.S. efforts to advocate for an internet governed by international organizations rather than individual countries.
China, in particular, has promoted a vision of internet sovereignty, advocating for greater national control over online content.
A TikTok ban could undermine America’s credibility in urging other countries to embrace a more open internet governed by global standards.