Wayback to the Future: Celebrating the Open Web

Join the Foundation for American Innovation, the Massive Data Institute and the Internet Archive at Georgetown University’s historic Riggs Library for Wayback to the Future: Celebrating the Open Web Past, Present, and Possible.

The open web was once defined by experimentation, decentralization, and possibility. The technological advancements were driven by the desire for a place where new voices and ideas could flourish. Today, consolidation and walled gardens challenge that vision. We’ll look back at the internet’s origins to spark a forward-looking conversation about how to keep the web free, open, and innovative.

The evening will feature a panel of pioneers, technologists, and policy thinkers reflecting on three eras of the web:

• The Wild Web of the 1990s
• The Platform Era of the 2010s
• The Next Web Era

A reception will follow the panel. Food and drinks will be provided.

Speakers include:

• Brewster Kahle — Founder & Director, Internet Archive
• Vint Cerf — Chief Internet Evangelist, Google
• Cindy Cohn — Executive Director, Electronic Frontier Foundation
• Jon Stokes — Co-founder, Ars Technica
• Moderator: Luke Hogg — Director of Technology Policy, Foundation for American Innovation