Web Inventor Denies ‘Off-Switch’

The inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, has reaffirmed that there is no single “off-switch” capable of shutting down the internet globally. Speaking in 2025 at the launch of the Web Index-a global ranking measuring how countries harness the web’s potential-Berners-Lee emphasized the internet’s fundamentally decentralized design. He explained that the internet’s resilience comes from its many interconnections across countries, meaning no single entity can simply turn it off.

“To completely shut down the internet, governments worldwide would need to collaborate to centralize control, which goes against the very architecture of the web,” Berners-Lee said. “If such centralization ever occurs, it is crucial that people resist it to preserve the internet’s openness and freedom.”

This statement comes amid ongoing concerns about internet shutdowns used by some governments to control information during political unrest or other events. However, recent reports from Cloudflare and the Internet Society show a significant decline in government-directed internet shutdowns in early 2025, marking an unusual period of uninterrupted global connectivity.

At the event, comedian and internet advocate Stephen Fry echoed Berners-Lee’s warning, highlighting that the greatest threat to internet freedom is attempts to restrict the free exchange of ideas online.

When asked about rumors that he personally holds the power to switch off the internet, Berners-Lee joked, “Now that you know, I’ll have to shoot you,” adding humorously that he monitors online conversations to subtly influence discourse-though, of course, this was in jest.

As the internet continues to evolve, Berners-Lee’s message underscores the importance of maintaining its decentralized nature to safeguard global access, innovation, and free expression.

References:
– Cloudflare Q1 2025 Internet Disruption Summary
– Internet Society Pulse Blog, April 2025
– Web Index 2025 Launch Event, Northwestern University
– Access Now, 2025 Internet Shutdown Watch
– Yahoo! News UK Archive

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[2] https://pulse.internetsociety.org/blog/new-year-no-shutdowns-the-q1-2025-internet-disruption-summary
[3] https://therecord.media/government-internet-shutdowns-slow-in-2025
[4] https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/zero-government-directed-internet-shutdowns-in-q1-2025-cloudflare/
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[7] https://www.accessnow.org/campaign/2025-elections-and-internet-shutdowns-watch/
[8] https://reports.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Global_Cybersecurity_Outlook_2025.pdf}