The web is a fundamental part of our lives, shaping how we work, connect, and learn. We understand that with this profound impact comes the resp

W3C Statement on Ethical Web Principles guides the community to build a better web

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2024-12-12 15:30:02

The web is a fundamental part of our lives, shaping how we work, connect, and learn. We understand that with this profound impact comes the responsibility to ensure that the web serves as a platform that benefits people and delivers positive social outcomes. As we continue to advance the web platform, we must therefore consider the consequences of our work.

In response to this need, the W3C Technical Architecture Group (TAG) has published the Ethical Web Principles as a W3C Statement. This is the first W3C Statement being published since the W3C Process Document introduced them in November 2021. W3C Statements provide a stable reference for documents not intended to be formal standards, but have been formally reviewed and are endorsed by W3C.

The Ethical Web Principles are as much a guide in ethical thinking across the web industry as they are a guide for the work of the W3C community by providing a concise set of principles to assist spec developers, authors, and reviewers in their work. In particular, the purpose of this document is to inform the wide review of new charters, new specifications, candidate additions to published recommendations, and the development of actionable technical guidelines such as the Web Platform Design Principles and Privacy Principles. Furthermore, the document outlines how we, as an organization, define the power and purpose of the web, from an ethical standpoint.