Campaigners today backed a call from the creator of the world wide web for a digital "Bill of Rights" to protect the rights of internet users.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee used the 25th anniversary of the web to call for the creation of an online "Magna Carta" to prevent users feeling that governments and big business were "looking over our shoulder".
His comments follow revelations last year by US National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden about the extent of surveillance carried out by it and the UK's GCHQ spy centre.
Claiming the web was at a "crossroads", Sir Tim said: "Are we going to continue on the road and just allow the governments to do more and more and more control — more and more surveillance?
"Or are we going to set up a bunch of values? Are we going to set up something like a Magna Carta for the world wide web and say, actually, now it is so important, so much part of our lives, that it becomes on a level with human rights?"
Padraig Reidy, of Index on Censorship, told the Standard: "It's crucial for the way the world wide web works that it is as free and open as possible. When we build in barriers, it immediately has an impact on the benefits we get."
He pointed to controls imposed in countries such as China and Cuba.
"There is a worry in this country that people are not paying attention to the GCHQ stuff," he added.
"It’s a good time to ask exactly what kind of internet we want."
Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group, said: "The web has transformed the way we live... But mass surveillance, online censorship and... filtering threaten our rights to free speech and privacy. We need to protect the openness of the web."
Sir Tim backs "the web we want" initiative, urging a "bill of rights" for all countries, backed by governments.
Jeffrey Jaffe, chief executive of the World Wide Consortium, which works with Sir Tim, said: "What is important to us is that the web achieves its full potential but that will only happen if people trust the web to be secure."
