Launched as part of our #ForTheWeb campaign, The Case for the Web report reflects on what the web has allowed humanity accomplish over the past nearly 30 years, examines the current trends that threaten its future, and outlines actions we must take to reverse these trends and ensure that the web remains free and open for everyone. The threats facing the web today are many and multi-faceted. Over half the world’s population is still offline, and the growth of people coming online is slowing dramatically. The distributed power of the web has shifted to lay in the hands of just a few, online abuse is on the rise, and the content we see is increasingly susceptible to manipulation. Over 1.2 billion internet users live in countries where net neutrality is not protected, and more than 1.5 billion people live in countries with no comprehensive law on personal data protection, leaving them particularly vulnerable to increasingly common incidents involving breaches of personal data. This report outlines a number of policy recommendations in support of the process to build a Contract for the Web, which will define responsibilities that governments, companies and citizens each have to create a better web. The report focuses on the progress on new paid online business models, trust and misinformation, the impact of populism, the shift to private messaging apps, and the rise of podcasts

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