World Wide Web Inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee addresses World Forum for FDI in Sharjah

9th February 2015,

Sir Tim Berners Lee, World Wide Web Inventor, called on the world to keep the neutrality of the worldwide web while stressing that the European Union is currently looking into making it a legislation, during the first session of the World Forum for Foreign Direct Investment 2015, which commenced at the Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre on Monday, February 9. hosted by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), the three-day conference is attended by a prestigious line-up of experts and specialists in investment and business from all over the world, as well as senior CEOs of the local and international firms, international investment promotion agencies and economic development organizations.

World Forum for FDI features four sessions that cover a range of topics crucial to global FDI environment, including the importance of diplomacy in cross-border commercial transactions, talent and immigration, ports and infrastructure, and fostering partnerships between companies from the distinct Eastern and Western business cultures. It will, also, provide an opportunity to discover the emirate of Sharjah and the development it has made over the last few years.

Catherine Dawson, president Conway Events, organiser of the World Forum for Foreign Direct Investment, delivered a speech in which she paid tribute to the support of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. She thanked Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and for HE Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) for their outstanding efforts in hosting the forum. Catherine said that the session would focus on Sharjah as an ideal investment platform, according to the feedback of international organisations and decision makers. She added that the theme of the forum 'Where East Meets West' was selected due to the cultural diversity in this area, which is a safe and stable investment environment, as well as the wide participation of experts and specialists from across the world.

In his keynote entitled "Leapfrogging Strategy for Business", Sir Berners-Lee explained that while some governments, bodies, and people are trying to break the webs neutrality, it is an important factor for businesses when they decide to base their operations as well as for people's privacy.

"Internet carries so much traffic essential to our daily lives. It is very powerful and should not have an attitude to what we are doing. It is very important to humanity to be able to have the right medium," he remarked.

Though the issue of privacy versus surveillance and monitoring terrorism pops up regularly and remains a massive challenge, Sir Berners-Lee is of the view that governments should build systems under controlled conditions and that are accountable to people.

"Since the Internet spying issue has been brought up, there has been a global awareness on the kind of worldwide web needed. Do people want a private or anonymous web or to what conditions and where?  Huge discussions are on and people have become very concerned about their personal data. Companies use personal information to customise it to advertisements. A personal data revolution is very much needed and is currently being developed in laboratories," he stressed.

Sir Berners-Lee also was also against calls for government to stop putting data on the web while stressing that businesses are already on computers. "In principle, every website is a possible attack target but governments have to regularly protect the system and make sure they are secure and disinfected."

The World Wide Web inventor also expects a continuing trend of data growth, which is vital for the survival of the web. Open data is a great tool for businesses to consumers and businesses to businesses.  Web data has already began growing and with open data everyone is a winner. Enterprises need to sell data about their products because it makes them visible.

During the coming period, Sir Berners-Lee expects the world of technology to witness a series of negatives and positives. Battles of power will emerge between people running connectivity and commercial firms cutting off connectivity, users and producers of the Internet, and 'control-freak' corporations and consumers.

"Battles between citizens and governments are turning into more of collaborations and more collaboration will emerge between engineers and lawyers because law and code have to be developed together. I hope we see collaboration between scientists solving huge problems and I wish webs are built on systems that are not based on countries because the internet does not have country boundaries and is a non-national medium," he stressed.

At the moment, Sir Berners-Lee revealed, 40% of the world's population use the web globally and those have an obligation towards making the remaining 60% go online. The Web Foundation currently has an alliance working on lobbying for the affordability of the Internet, ensuring a good regulatory framework, bringing down the price of mobile devices so that people can connect, and making sure data connection is not taxed as a luxury in some countries.

Organised by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) this international economic forum comes in implementation of the visions and directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, in hosting the international events and highlighting the emirate's business potentials regionally and internationally. The forum is being organised under direct follow up of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of Shurooq.

Organising the WORLD FORUM for Foreign Direct Investment in Sharjah in 2015, which is being held in the Middle East for the first time, marks another prestigious milestone for the Emirate. In previous years the world's leading FDI platform has been held in prime locations including Amsterdam, Brussels, London, Valencia, Bologna, Vilnius, Tallinn, Shanghai, and Philadelphia.

-Ends-

Shurooq
Aya Mohamad Sarraj
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Majdi Ashour
SAHARA Communications
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Wafa Ahmad
SHARA Communications
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© Press Release 2015