"Sites need to be able to interact in one single, universal space"
About this Quote
"One single, universal space" reads like engineering language, but it's also a political stance. It rejects the comfortable fragmentation of walled gardens and proprietary ecosystems where companies decide what connects to what. Berners-Lee helped design the Web as an open layer: URLs that point anywhere, standards that anyone can implement, protocols that don't require a tollbooth. The intent is interoperability as a default, not a premium feature.
The subtext is a warning disguised as a blueprint. If sites can't interact universally, the Web devolves into a set of privatized mini-internets, where discovery is mediated by platforms, links rot behind logins, and innovation depends on partnership deals. Universal space isn't about sameness; it's about shared rules that protect difference. A jazz scene needs a common key signature, not a single genre.
Context matters: this is the worldview of a standards-maker watching the Web drift from decentralized documents toward siloed apps, logged-in feeds, and API gatekeeping. It's Berners-Lee insisting that the Web's original superpower was permissionless connection, and that losing it isn't a technical regression so much as a cultural one.
Quote Details
| Topic | Internet |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Berners-Lee, Tim. (2026, January 18). Sites need to be able to interact in one single, universal space. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sites-need-to-be-able-to-interact-in-one-single-3311/
Chicago Style
Berners-Lee, Tim. "Sites need to be able to interact in one single, universal space." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sites-need-to-be-able-to-interact-in-one-single-3311/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Sites need to be able to interact in one single, universal space." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/sites-need-to-be-able-to-interact-in-one-single-3311/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.

