The inventor of the World Wide Web has warned that "a growing tide of surveillance and censorship" threatens the future of democracy.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who launched the web on Christmas Day 1990, said bold steps are needed to protect fundamental rights to privacy and freedom of opinion online.
More people use the internet and social media to take action and try to expose wrongdoing, the new Web Index Report, a global league table measuring the web’s growth and impact it has on people.
"Some governments are threatened by this, and a growing tide of surveillance and censorship now threatens the future of democracy," Sir Tim said.
"Bold steps are needed now to protect our fundamental rights to privacy and freedom of opinion and association online."
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