Open Web

This a comprehensive guide to essential Open Web resources.

While it could be argued that the open source software movement is part of the Open Web, it’s safer to say that they are related, connected and intertwined. While open source refers to principals and practices of open software development, the Open Web describes the Internet as it exists beyond the tightly controlled walled gardens run by tech monopolies such as Facebook, Google, Apple and others. The Open Web, in a sense, is the contemporary version of the old-fashioned Internet before social media and tech giants.

Mark Surman, Executive Director of the Mozilla Foundation, defines the Open Web:

What is Open Web?

“Open web” is a sweeping term — it encompasses technical concepts like open-source code and open standards. It also encompasses democratic concepts like free expression and digital inclusion.

But there’s a single underlying principle connecting all these ideas: An open web is a web by and for all its users, not select gatekeepers or governments.

In technical terms, the Open Web could be described as the set of web standards that are non-proprietary, open, and mostly created through international cooperation.