A digital push to connect young people around the world to the Internet and investments of over 400 billion dollars over 10 years to give everyone a broadband connection, only in this way can we rebuild after the Covid-19 crisis.
This is the message contained in the letter from Tim Berners-Lee, father of the web, 32 years after the birth of his baby.
On March 12, 1989, in fact, the researcher presented an essay at CERN in Geneva: it was the theoretical basis of the network that started the invention that revolutionized our lives.
"This year we celebrate this anniversary by valuing nine young people whose work demonstrates this incredible potential. Their stories show how, in the hands of this generation, the web can help overcome some of humanity's great challenges," Berners-Lee adds in letter written jointly with Rosemary Leith, co-founder of the World Wide Web Foundation, which promotes the free and open web for all.
The kids come from different parts of the world and have used technology for the environment, to tackle gender inequality and curb Covid-19.
The document also reports estimates from the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), an initiative of the Web Foundation: it calculated that 428 billion dollars of additional investments over ten years would provide everyone with a quality broadband connection.
That's just $ 116 each for the 3.7 billion people who remain offline today.
The guys mentioned by Berners Lee in the letter for the 32 years of the web are Avi Schiffman (USA, founder of nCov2019.live);
Chelsea Slater (GB, founder of InnovateHer), Froilan Grate (Philippines, environmental activist);
Hera Hussain (Gb, founder of Chain);
Ian Mangenga (South Africa, founder of Digital Girl);
Peter Okwoko (Uganda, founder Takataka Plastics);
Salvador Camacho (Mexico, founder of GGWP);
Savena Surana and Arda Awais (Gb, founders of Identity 2.0).
"They see the web as a tool to fight for justice, expand opportunities and find solutions to pressing problems," writes the web's dad.
The document also mentions that one in three people between the ages of 15 and 24 do not have access to the Internet at all, while two thirds of people under the age of 25 - 2.2 billion - do not access the Internet at home.
In low-income countries, only 6% of young people have internet access at home.
In the letter, Berners-Lee also highlights the issue of online threats and abuse, disinformation and dangerous content that put young people at risk and can push them offline.
In particular, 85% of women have experienced or witnessed violence, with younger women being the most affected.
And it calls on tech companies to build products and services that respect the rights of young people and on governments to promote effective laws that require companies to be accountable for creating responsible products and services.
"It is time to commit to providing the web we want for the world we want, for this generation of young people and for the one that is yet to come", concludes the letter.
