News story: Celebrating 30 years of the World Wide Web

The invention of the World Wide Web marks its 30th anniversary today, with Sir Tim Berners-Lee, its creator, and leading figures in Britain’s technology sector coming together to celebrate at Downing Street.

Sir Tim, a renowned British computer scientist, first unveiled his vision for what would become the web in 1989 as a way to share information for free and across the world. It forms the basis of the internet we know today.

At Downing Street, Sir Tim was joined by the Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright, co-founding director of the World Wide Web Foundation Rosemary Leith, and representatives from companies such as Google, Wikipedia and Monzo, who have also been at the forefront of changing the way people consume information and purchase online today.

Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright said:

It was great to meet Sir Tim Berners-Lee today and mark 30 years since his invention of the World Wide Web. It remains one of the finest examples of British technological ingenuity.

We are at a pivotal moment in the history of the internet and I am determined to make sure it can be a force for good while supporting the next generation of tech innovators.

From entrepreneurs and innovators to bigger organisations, the digital technology sector is one of the UK’s fastest-growing industries, worth £116.5 billion to the economy, boosting productivity and employing more than 2.1 million people.