- From: Amy van der Hiel <amy@w3.org>
- Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2023 09:13:16 -0500
- To: w3c-news@w3.org
- Cc: Amy van der Hiel <amy@w3.org>
Dear Friends of W3C,
The World Wide Web Consortium began the year 2023 by forming a new public-interest non-profit organization.
The new entity preserves our member-driven approach, existing worldwide outreach and cooperation while allowing for additional partners around the world beyond Europe and Asia. The new organization also preserves the core process and mission of the Consortium to shepherd the web, by developing open web standards as a single global organization with contributions from W3C Members, staff, and the international community.
Our Director, Tim Berners-Lee, noted: “Today, I am proud of the profound impact W3C has had, its many achievements accomplished with our Members and the public, and I look forward to the continued empowering enhancements W3C enables as it launches its own public-interest non-profit organization, building on 28 years of experience."
Our vision for the future is a web that is truly a force for good. A World Wide Web that is truly international and more inclusive, more respectful of its users. A web that supports truth better than falsehood, people more than profits, humanity rather than hate. A web that works for everyone, because of everyone.
To learn more read our press release below as text or online at: https://www.w3.org/2023/01/pressrelease-w3c-le-launched.html.en
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to schedule an interview at: <w3t-pr@w3.org>.
Yours sincerely,
Amy van der Hiel
W3C Media Relations Coordinator
==========================================================
[1]W3C For immediate release
[1]
https://www.w3.org/
W3C re-launched as a public-interest non-profit organization
__________________________________________________________
Read [2]testimonials from W3C Members
[3]Translations | [4]W3C Press Release Archive
__________________________________________________________
[3]
https://www.w3.org/Press/Releases-2023#w3c-le-launched
[4]
https://www.w3.org/Press/
[5]
https://www.w3.org/
— 31 January 2023 — The World Wide Web
Consortium began the year 2023 by forming a new public-interest
non-profit organization. The new entity preserves our
member-driven approach, existing worldwide outreach and
cooperation while allowing for additional partners around the
world beyond Europe and Asia. The new organization also
preserves the core process and mission of the Consortium to
shepherd the web, by developing open web standards as a single
global organization with contributions from W3C Members, staff,
and the international community.
[5]
https://www.w3.org/
The Web Consortium builds on 28 years of expertise
Since its founding almost three decades ago by Web Inventor Sir
Tim Berners-Lee, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has
developed the foundational technical standards upon which the
web has flourished.
The [6]Web Consortium has a track record of delivering globally
recognized standards, including HTML and CSS upon which the web
is built. W3C and its Members have made advances of important
social and economic value: nearly five hundred open standards
have powered the creation of 2 billion websites. The Consortium
has also been fundamental in the emergence of transformative
phenomena like social media, e-commerce, video on the web,
video conferencing, which have transformed all our lives. W3C’s
work empowers people with disabilities to access the web,
supports websites in languages and cultures all around the
world, and improves web security through strong authentication.
These successes are possible because W3C standards may be used
by anyone, and at no cost thanks to the royalty-free W3C Patent
Policy.
[6]
https://www.w3.org/Consortium/facts
Sir Tim Berners-Lee’s Consortium
"In 1994, the decision to form the World Wide Web Consortium
came at the urging of many companies investing increasing
resources into the web.” said Sir Tim Berners-Lee, “I started
leading the essential work of the Web Consortium team to foster
a consistent architecture accommodating the rapid pace of
progress in web standards for building websites, browsers,
devices to experience all that the web has to offer. Today, I
am proud of the profound impact W3C has had, its many
achievements accomplished with our Members and the public, and
I look forward to the continued empowering enhancements W3C
enables as it launches its own public-interest non-profit
organization, building on 28 years of experience.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee has long promoted the Consortium as a
neutral forum where organizations around the world come
together to create the technologies to most fully realize the
potential of the web.
When the Consortium was established and running well Sir Tim
was able to put his focus elsewhere and founded other
organizations like the World Wide Web Foundation, the Open Data
Institute London and his newest layer of the web, the Solid
Protocol, and the company Inrupt bringing it to fruition. Sir
Tim has gradually stepped away from being directly involved
with most W3C decisions. Today, to ensure that Sir Tim’s vision
continues, he retains a permanent seat on the Board of
Directors and has been actively advocating and supporting the
evolution of the organization he founded.
Greater means, stronger governance are fueling the need for change
Going beyond the incremental changes that over the years
enabled the Web Consortium to keep pace with the web's evolving
technologies and uses, the newly adopted structure affords
increased transparency and accountability, and greater
responsiveness to fast moving changes.
The new structure will allow continuity as well as further
development of the Consortium. It also puts governance at the
fore. A [7]Board of Directors with W3C Member majority will
guide the operations and strategic direction, aiming for
clearer reporting, greater transparency and continued global
cooperation, including with new international Partners from the
[8]former Hosts.
[7]
https://www.w3.org/governance/board/
[8]
https://www.w3.org/2022/06/pressrelease-w3c-le.html.en
As required of all 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, our
bylaws and a number of documents will be public, such as tax
documents as well as specific financial statements disclosing
our operating activities, balance sheets, statement of cash
flows, and income statement. Our financial statements will be
annually audited by an independent external auditor.
Preserving our world-class standards development process
We will continue to use our proven standards development
process.
W3C processes promote fairness and enable progress. Our
standards work will still be accomplished in the open, under
the [9]W3C Process Document and royalty-free [10]W3C Patent
Policy, with input from the broader community. Decisions will
still be taken by consensus. Technical direction and
Recommendations will continue to require review by W3C Members
– large and small. The Advisory Board will still guide the
community-driven Process Document enhancement. The Technical
Architecture Group will continue as the highest authority on
technical matters.
[9]
https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Process/
[10]
https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy/
Vision for the future
Our vision for the future is a web that is truly a force for
good. A World Wide Web that is truly international and more
inclusive, more respectful of its users. A web that supports
truth better than falsehood, people more than profits, humanity
rather than hate. A web that works for everyone, because of
everyone.
About the World Wide Web Consortium
The mission of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is to lead
the Web to its full potential by creating technical standards
and guidelines to ensure that the Web remains open, accessible,
and interoperable for everyone around the globe. W3C well-known
standards HTML and CSS are the foundational technologies upon
which websites are built. W3C works on ensuring that all
foundational Web technologies meet the needs of civil society,
in areas such as accessibility, internationalization, security,
and privacy. W3C also provides the standards that undergird the
infrastructure for modern businesses leveraging the Web, in
areas such as entertainment, communications, digital
publishing, and financial services. That work is created in the
open, provided for free and under the groundbreaking W3C Patent
Policy.
W3C's vision for "One Web" brings together thousands of
dedicated technologists representing more than 400 [11]Member
organizations and dozens of industry sectors. W3C is a
public-interest non-profit organization incorporated in the
United States of America, led by a Board of Directors and
employing a global staff across the globe. For more information
see [12]
https://www.w3.org/.
[11]
https://www.w3.org/Consortium/Member/List
[12]
https://www.w3.org/
End Press Release
Media Contact
Amy van der Hiel, W3C Media Relations Coordinator
<[13]w3t-pr@w3.org>
mailto:w3t-pr@w3.org
+1.617.453.8943 (US, Eastern Time)
__________________________________________________________
Testimonials from W3C members
[14]Accessibility Foundation • [15]Center for Democracy &
Technology • [16]ConsenSys • [17]Deque Systems, Inc. • [18]eyeo
• [19]Fondazione LIA • [20]Huawei Corporation • [21]koodos labs
• [22]Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory • [23]Ministry of
Digital Affairs, Taiwan • [24]Oracle • [25]Tetralogical •
[26]TPGi
Accessibility Foundation
"Accessibility Foundation, member of W3C since 2001,
congratulates W3C Inc with the successful transition from a
hosted model to a public-interest non-profit organization.
Our Foundation will continue to support W3C and W3C/WAI
activities with regards to digital inclusion for persons
with disabilities. W3C has a crucial role in the
harmonization of accessibility in web standards, supporting
materials and tools. Accessibility Foundation uses the
W3C/WAI accessibility resources in their daily work and
actively works together on new and revised WAI resources
that support the European Accessibility Act."
Eric Velleman, Founder, [27]Accessibility Foundation
[27]
https://www.accessibility.nl/
Center for Democracy & Technology
"As a long-time civil society member of the World Wide Web
Consortium, CDT is encouraged by the successful transition
of W3C to a public-interest non-profit organization.
Internet governance is most effective and legitimate when it
is genuinely multistakeholder. To that end, CDT is committed
to participating in the development of Web standards,
advocating for technical designs that support privacy and
other human rights, and including more of the community in
the standard-setting process. There is much work to be done,
by the new W3C Inc. and by the wider community, to make
standard-setting inclusive and to fulfill the potential of
the Web."
Alexandra Reeve Givens, President & CEO, [28]Center for
Democracy & Technology
[28]
https://cdt.org/
ConsenSys
"W3C has led the evolution of the basic Web platform for
almost three decades. It pioneered some of the principles of
decentralisation that are central to our own vision,
enabling multiple stakeholders to support and participate in
the governance of a critical technology that is a public
good. An early decision of ConsenSys was to be a member and
participate in shaping the web as part of W3C. We are
committed to extending the Internet with new mechanisms for
trust, a fairer model of ownership, and more transparent and
democratic economic rewards to build the digital economy of
tomorrow. We welcome the transition of W3C to an independent
organisation founded on strong values to continue its
leadership of an open technology platform that will remain
fundamental to the transformation we are working to see."
Charles Nevile, Lead Standards Architect, [29]ConsenSys
[29]
https://consensys.net/
Deque Systems, Inc.
"We're excited to see W3C evolve and continue to drive
vitally important web standards forward. Myself and my
colleagues at Deque have been working with W3C for 16 years
on WCAG in an effort to drive digital equality across the
web. As the web changes and grows, we're excited to defend
the W3C vision together, building a web that works for
everyone."
Glenda Sims, Chief Information Accessibility Officer,
[30]Deque Systems, Inc.
[30]
http://www.deque.com/
eyeo
"Eyeo is delighted to witness the establishment of W3C Inc.
as a new legal entity with non-profit status. As the web
needs to continuously evolve, we are facing big challenges
and require sustainable standards to keep the web open,
accessible and secure for everyone. eyeo will continue to
actively participate in various working groups to keep the
web balanced for users, content creators and advertisers."
Gertrud Kolb, Chief Technology and Product Officer (CTPO),
[31]eyeo
[31]
https://eyeo.com/
Fondazione LIA
“As a European organization, we fully support W3C and their
efforts to create a more open, interoperable and accessible
digital world. The new version of the EPUB Accessibility
specification is an important step towards meeting the
requirements of the European Accessibility Act for
publishers. It is essential for different voices from
different regions to be represented in this process and we
demonstrate that organizations of all sizes can contribute
to this cause. Accessibility is a critical and rapidly
growing issue: we will continue to support W3C and their
efforts to make the digital world more accessible for all.”
Cristina Mussinelli, Secretary General, [32]Fondazione LIA
[32]
https://www.fondazionelia.org/
Huawei Corporation
"We applaud W3C successfully transformation as an
independent, non-profit and member-driven legal entity after
three decades of diligent operations leading to the thriving
of global Web technologies, and we strongly believe W3C will
take the great opportunity to continue championing
standardization principles such as openness, fairness and
transparency, serving W3C’s outstanding vision of ‘Web for
All’. We look forward to W3C leveraging this crucial chance
to unify more members, talents and sponsors, effectively
addressing standards challenges triggered by emerging
technologies, with the support of the Web infrastructure, as
the mature, credible and evolving foundation.”
Thomas Li, President of Corporate Standards, [33]Huawei
Corporation
[33]
http://www.huawei.com/
Koodos Labs
"For nearly three decades, W3C has stood at the forefront of
the web's evolution, promoting standards and guidelines that
have helped shape the internet as we know it today. At
koodos labs, we're excited to be on the frontlines
supporting the W3C's tireless efforts to advance the web and
ensure its accessibility, interoperability, and neutrality.
As the web enters an important juncture, we have no doubt
that W3C Inc. will remain a key player in shaping its
future."
Jad Esber, Co-founder, CEO, [34]Koodos Labs
[34]
https://koodoslabs.xyz/
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
"Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory congratulates W3C on
the creation of W3C Inc. as an independent legal entity. We
gratefully acknowledge the work of the host institutions to
manage the consortium over the past several decades. Those
years have been crucial to the development of scientific
data sharing and knowledge dissemination. With the
Consortium's guidance, the Web has become an indispensable
tool for research, not only in publishing results but also
in making data findable, accessible, interoperable, and
reusable. Web standards also enable tools for scientific
computing, analysis, and collaboration, all fundamental
aspects of modern scientific research. We look forward to
addressing the challenges of the present day and building a
still brighter future."
Wahid Bhimji, Data Department Head, National Energy Research
Scientific Computing Center, [35]Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory
[35]
http://www.lbl.gov/
Ministry of Digital Affairs, Taiwan
"As a new member to W3C, we are committed to work with all
stakeholders, especially around decentralized identifiers,
accessibility, privacy and security standards. We look
forward to engaging in inclusive co-creation that leads to
digital resilience for all — overcoming online harms through
digital competence."
Audrey Tang, Minister of Digital Affairs, [36]Ministry of
Digital Affairs, Taiwan
[36]
https://moda.gov.tw/
Oracle
"W3C provides a unique and valuable opportunity for W3C
members, staff, and the international community to
collaborate on creating open standards in a transparent
manner. As W3C transitions from a hosted model to a
member-driven non-profit organization, we are excited for
the potential to be more agile and accountable while
adhering to the same standards processes and licenses that
have been successful over the past 28 years. As a member of
W3C since 1995, Oracle has been privileged to have helped in
W3C’s mission to lead the web to its full potential by
creating open standards. Oracle will continue its
contributions and participation in W3C including its
leadership in the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group
(AGWG). Oracle values the benefits that the W3C's Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have provided to
improve access to the Web by anyone, regardless of their
abilities, to everyone around the world."
Luke Kowalski, VP, Corporate Architecture Group, [37]Oracle
[37]
http://www.oracle.com/
Tetralogical
"TetraLogical welcomes this new era of the World Wide Web
Consortium. The web platform has evolved and changed since
W3C was first established, and now more than ever, there is
a need for the community to come together to work on open
and royalty-free web standards that uphold the principles of
accessibility, security, privacy, and internationalisation.
We are excited by the possibilities and look forward to our
continuing involvement."
Léonie Watson, Founder and Director, [38]Tetralogical
[38]
https://tetralogical.com/
TPGi
"W3C has a long tradition of working to provide a web that
supports participation by disabled people. This extends to
participation by disabled people within W3C to develop the
specifications and guidelines which improve accessibility.
TPGi have been actively engaged for the past 15 years as
Specification Editors, Working Group participants and
Chairs, and we are committed and excited to actively
participate in the W3C of the future."
Steve Faulkner, Chief Accessibility Officer, [39]TPGi
__________________________________________________________
[39]
https://www.tpgi.com/
[40]Translations | [41]W3C Press Release Archive
[40]
https://www.w3.org/Press/Releases-2023#w3c-le-launched
[41]
https://www.w3.org/Press/
Received on Tuesday, 31 January 2023 14:13:20 UTC