Internet Society and W3C Strengthen Partnership to Encourage Healthy Internet Ecosystem
[Washington, D.C., USA; Geneva, Switzerland; and http://www.w3.org/] — 31 January 2012 — In its continuing efforts to foster an open Internet ecosystem, the Internet Society today announced a 1M USD donation to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). This donation, the final installment of the Internet Society’s 2009 pledge of 2.5M USD over three years, supports the continued evolution of W3C as an organization that creates open Web standards.
“The Internet Society’s generous donation has fueled deep organizational change at W3C,” said Jeff Jaffe, W3C CEO. “We have strengthened our business model and broadened participation to accelerate the development of the Open Web Platform technology that is transforming industry.”
In 2011, one of the ways in which W3C reached out to new stakeholders was through new Community Groups and Business Groups. A W3C Community Group is an open forum, without fees, where Web developers and other stakeholders develop specifications, hold discussions, develop test suites, and connect with W3C’s international community of Web experts. A W3C Business Group gives innovators that want to have an impact on the development of the Web in the near-term, a vendor-neutral forum for collaborating with like-minded stakeholders, including W3C Members and non-Members. In just four months, more than fifty groups have been created or proposed.
“The W3C is emblematic of the inclusive, multistakeholder approach that is critical to the continued development, operation, and use of the open, global Internet,” said Raúl Echeberría, Chair of the Internet Society Board of Trustees. “We look forward to continued cooperation between the W3C and the Internet Society to advance our shared values through independent voices.”
The Internet Society and W3C have closely aligned views and both organizations strongly support the ongoing evolution of the open Internet. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the Internet Society serves the needs of the growing, global Internet community through championing public policies that enable open access; facilitating the open development of Internet standards and protocols; and organizing events and opportunities that inform and bring people together.
“We look forward to advancing our relationship with W3C and seeking new opportunities to collaborate in important areas, such as Internet governance,” said Lynn St. Amour, President and CEO of the Internet Society. “Strong partnerships among the many diverse Internet-focused organizations that form the Internet ecosystem are essential to ensure the continued development of the Internet as an open platform for innovation, economic development, and social progress.”
An Internet Society and W3C FAQ with additional information is available:
http://www.w3.org/2009/11/isoc-w3c-faq .
About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is the world’s trusted independent source of leadership for Internet policy, technology standards, and future development. Based on its principled vision and substantial technological foundation, the Internet Society works with its members and Chapters around the world to promote the continued evolution and growth of the open Internet through dialog among companies, governments, and other organizations around the world. For more information, see: http://www.internetsociety.org
About the World Wide Web Consortium
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international consortium where Member organizations, a full-time staff, and the public work together to develop Web standards. W3C primarily pursues its mission through the creation of Web standards and guidelines designed to ensure long-term growth for the Web. Over 350 organizations are Members of the Consortium. W3C is jointly run by the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (MIT CSAIL) in the USA, the European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM) headquartered in France and Keio University in Japan, and has additional Offices worldwide. For more information see http://www.w3.org/