The Democratic Web

If there was any doubt before, the COVID-19 pandemic made it clear: digital life is real life. Our lives exist on the Web no less than they do on the streets. But while the streets are governed by the state, the Internet lacks a formal governing body.

This has led to a centralized, monopolistic situation where a few large corporations practically govern the web. The result is a Web where users are being manipulated, their privacy ignored, or they live in a state of insecurity of being blocked out of platforms their life depends on. Due to the international nature of the Internet, regulators around the globe face difficulties controlling this situation.

What is needed is a model for the web with an internal governance mechanism, controlled by the "citizens" of the web (Webizens).

The core principles of the Democratic Web are as follows.

1. An alternative web to the current one that includes an internal governance layer.
2. The governance layer is controlled by Webizens, which are citizens of the Democratic web.
3. There is a naturalization process for users to become Webizens.
4. The web is governed in a democratic process by its Webizens.

Technically this requires an updated HTTP protocol, an online identity system, and a decentralized blockchain-based infrastructure.

From the political science side of things, we need an updated model of the Three Branches of Government model (legislature, executive, and judiciary branches) for a global purely online governance process.