The creator of the modern internet—the world wide web—Sir Tim Berners-Lee, is set to sell the internet's original source code as a truly unique NFT. Sir Berners-Lee will donate the proceeds from the non-fungible token sale to various charities he and his wife, Lady Berners-Lee, patronize.
Although the initial NFT craze has died down since its early 2021 hysteria, the chance to claim ownership of one of the world's most unique digital collectibles will still capture the imagination of many potential owners, even outside the crypto-sphere.
Own a Piece of the Internet—Literally
The announcement that Sir Tim would auction off the source for the world wide web (WWW) has surprised many observers.
Famously, he refused to patent the original source code, reasoning that the internet (and the world wide web as we know it) were an invention that should remain free from commercial interests and that only then could everyone truly enjoy everything it has to offer.
Now, Sotheby's auction house presides over the sale of four individual items combined to create a single NFT.
The world wide web NFT will include the original time-stamped files of the project source code, an animated visualization of that code, a unique letter from Sir Tim regarding the development process, and another unique digital poster of his creation.
The NFT sale represents the first time Sir Berners-Lee has attempted to make money directly from the invention of the world wide web—although, as mentioned, any proceeds are heading straight to charitable organizations.
Why Use an NFT to Auction Internet Source Code?
Talking to the Financial Times, Sir Berners-Lee said there are similarities between the still-fledgling world of cryptocurrencies and his original invention. The original vision for the world wide web was an interconnected network of personal pages rather than an internet dominated by several large corporations.
It was supposed to be individually empowering
As per the Sotheby auction notes for the NFT, Sir Berners-Lee believes, "It's a natural thing to do when you're a computer scientist and when you write code and have been for many years."
The WWW NFT Is Proper Internet History
NFTs are controversial tech. Many argue that non-fungible tokens are a waste of energy or a money-making scheme (or both) and that without proper use-cases, there is zero use for them.
Whereas proponents believe that NFTs will become a core aspect of our increasingly digitized world—not part of the future, but of the now, growing in usefulness as more of the world begins to use cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.
Whatever your stance, one thing is for sure: NFTs aren't going away any time soon. If high-profile figures like Sir Tim Berners-Lee can use the sale of one digital token to (potentially) raise millions for charity, surely no one will argue against that?
Image Credit: Tim Berners-Lee/Wikimedia Commons
