Web4: The European Union's Strategy for a More Responsible Internet

When observing the trajectory of the Internet over the past thirty years, we can clearly identify how it has evolved from an open-content network to platforms dominated by large corporations, and now there is debate about the next step: Web4. The European Union does not limit itself to observing this transformation but has taken the initiative to propose a comprehensive strategy that aims to learn from past mistakes and anticipate future digital challenges.

The evolution of the Internet: From public access to corporate control

The Internet has undergone radical changes in its structure and governance. In the early era, known as Web 1.0, anyone could access content published by other users, creating a relatively decentralized network of information. With the advent of Web 2.0 and its commercialization, major tech conglomerates took control of both content and platforms, concentrating power in few hands and extracting value from the data of millions of users.

Faced with this excessive centralization, the promise of Web 3.0 emerged, supported by technologies like blockchain and cryptocurrencies, which proposed to return power to users through decentralized networks. However, Web 3.0 focused too much on technological aspects, without sufficiently considering the experience of ordinary users or the social impacts of its implementations. This is where Web4 positions itself as the next evolutionary stage.

Web4: More than technology, a matter of experience and responsibility

Web4 represents a convergence of emerging technologies—artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, virtual environments, and extended reality—but its distinctive value lies in its focus on the end user rather than the technological system itself.

The fundamental features of Web4 include sovereign control by users over their own data and privacy, a decentralized architecture based on blockchain technology, economic incentive mechanisms through tokens, and participatory governance where users actively collaborate in platform decisions. Additionally, Web4 aims to strengthen network security, protect the rights of content creators, and foster constructive community participation.

What fundamentally distinguishes Web4 from its predecessor is the balance between technological innovation and social responsibility. While Web 3.0 prioritized technical decentralization, Web4 prioritizes accessibility, equity, and sustainability of the digital ecosystem.

Web4 versus Web3: A perspective beyond the technical

Although Web 3.0 and Web4 share common technological foundations, their orientations and objectives differ significantly. Web 3.0 focuses on decentralization via blockchain and cryptocurrencies, while Web4 broadens this focus to include artificial intelligence, semantic web, and extended reality technologies, aiming to create more intuitive experiences for ordinary users.

The business model also diverges substantially. Web 3.0 mainly relies on token economies and cryptocurrencies, which has led to volatility and speculation. In contrast, Web4 considers hybrid models combining decentralized approaches with traditional schemes, aiming for more stable and sustainable profitability in the long term.

In terms of maturity, Web 3.0 remains in early experimental phases with unresolved issues. Web4, although still a prospective vision, builds on lessons learned from Web 3.0, projecting itself as a more thoughtful and balanced evolution.

Regulatory attitudes also mark a break. Web 3.0 often adopts anti-regulatory and libertarian positions, rejecting state intervention. Web4, anticipating current political realities, recognizes that it will face various levels of government regulation and seeks to proactively address this constructively.

The European Union’s Web4 strategy

The European Commission has identified that Web4 requires a differentiated strategic approach. Recognizing that only 8% of the European population demonstrated familiarity with Web 3.0 concepts according to recent surveys, the EU has opted for clearer terminology—Web4—to communicate its vision of next-generation Internet.

The European strategy is structured around ten key pillars: remaining alert to privacy and security risks inherent in decentralized technologies, implementing regulatory oversight rather than a fully liberal approach, learning from mistakes made during the Web 2.0 era, especially protecting minors and vulnerable communities, strengthening platform responsibility for user-generated content, establishing authentication systems that ensure traceability, empowering users to control their data, maintaining a balance between fostering innovation and managing risks, considering the demands of multiple stakeholders, and promoting a responsible and environmentally sustainable digital environment.

Challenges facing Web4 regulation

Implementing this strategy faces significant obstacles. Internally, there are disagreements among member states on how to approach emerging technologies like Web 3.0 and the Metaverse, though a cautious approach generally prevails.

The EU perceives that Web 3.0 suffers from a narrow, technically focused vision that inadequately considers potential risks and social side effects. This has motivated the regulation of Web4 as an opportunity to prevent problems that characterized Web 2.0: privacy violations, exploitation of minors, hate speech, and power concentration.

The Digital Services Act, already in development, exemplifies this determination: it will require tech companies to assume broader responsibilities for content circulating on their platforms. This regulatory framework could influence other jurisdictions worldwide, redefining international standards for digital governance.

Specific challenges include reconciling divergent national interests within the EU, the uncertainty caused by rapid technological change, and the need to find a balance between stimulating innovation and mitigating systemic risks.

Conclusion: European leadership in digital governance

The European Union’s stance on Web4 reflects a regulatory maturity that recognizes how disruptive technology must coexist with robust legal and social frameworks. Unlike actors who embrace technology uncritically, the EU seeks to guide it toward socially beneficial outcomes.

This European regulatory experience will undoubtedly serve as a reference for other regions worldwide to develop their own governance strategies for Web4 and similar emerging technologies. We are witnessing the emergence of a new paradigm in digital economy regulation, where the EU’s balanced vision may set standards that resonate globally.