An investigation of developments in Web 3.0 :opportunities, risks, safeguards and governance

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Many organisations consider technology as a significant asset to generate income and control cost. The World Wide Web (henceforth referred to as the Web), is recognised as the fastest growing publication medium of all time, now containing well over 1 trillion URLs. In order to stay competitive it is crucial to stay up to date with technological trends that create new opportunities for organisations, as well as creating risks. The Web acts as an enabler for technological advancement, and matures in its own unique way. From the static informative characteristics of Web 1.0, it progressed into the interactive experience Web 2.0 provides. The next phase of Web evolution, Web 3.0, is already in progress.Web 3.0 entails an integrated Web experience where the machine will be able to understand and catalogue data in a manner similar to humans. This will facilitate a world wide data warehouse where any format of data can be shared and understood by any device over any network. The evolution of the Web will bring forth new opportunities as well as challenges. Organisations need to be ready, and acquire knowledge about the opportunities and risks arising from Web 3.0 technologies.The purpose of this study is to define Web 3.0, and identify new opportunities and risks associated with Web 3.0 technologies by using a control framework. Identified opportunities can mainly be characterised as the autonomous integration of data and services which increases the pre-existing capabilities of Web services, as well as the creation of new functionalities. The identified risks mainly concern unauthorised access and manipulation of data; autonomous initiation of actions, and the development of scripts and languages. Risks will be mitigated by control procedures which organisations need to implement (examples include but is not limited to encryptions; access control; filtering; language and ontology development control procedures; education of consumers and usage policies). The findings will assist management in addressing the key focus areas of opportunities and risks when implementing a new technology.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University