World Wide Web code by London-born Tim Berners-Lee auctioned as NFT
The World Wide Web’s original source code that was written by its inventor Tim Berners-Lee is up for sale as part of a non-fungible token.
With bids beginning at just $1,000 at auctioneers Sotheby’s, the digitally signed Ethereum blockchain non-fungible token (NFT) is a unique digital asset that records ownership.
With the rise of cryptocurrencies, NFT’s have been quick to follow as the digital answer to collectables and one-of-a-kind items, often worth millions.
“Why an NFT? Well, it’s a natural thing to do … when you’re a computer scientist and when you write code and have been for many years,” Berners-Lee said in a statement.
The World Wide Web NFT will include the original source code, an animated visualization, a letter written by Berners-Lee and a digital poster of the full code from the original files.
“It feels right to digitally sign my autograph on a completely digital artefact,” he added.
London-born computer scientist Berners-Lee created the coding behind the internet in 1989, which at the time, completely revolutionised the sharing of information.
The NFT piece, among containing 9,555 lines of code, also includes the original HTML documents that helped early web users on how to use the new application we now know as the internet.
The standalone online auction will run from 23 June to 30 June for Berners-Lee’s NFT titled “This Changed Everything”.