Recently, I was reading about how the EU is thinking differently about the future of the internet, and honestly, the topic of Web 4.0 seemed quite interesting to share.

Usually, when we talk about the internet, we divide its history into stages: Web 1.0 where content was open, Web 2.0 where big companies centralized everything. Then came Web3 with blockchain trying to decentralize, but the reality is it focused too much on the technical side and left out most ordinary users. That’s where Web 4.0 comes in, which basically inherits what worked from Web3 but focuses on the actual user experience and social impact.

The main idea of Web 4.0 is that users have real control over their data, that there is a decentralized but accessible network, with mechanisms for economic incentives and protection for creators. Sounds ambitious, right?

What’s interesting is to see how the European Union is approaching this. According to a YouGov survey from a while ago, only 8% of people really understood what Web3 was. So the EU decided to go further and propose its own strategy. They define Web 4.0 as the convergence of artificial intelligence, IoT, blockchain, virtual worlds, and extended reality all together.

But here’s where it gets interesting: while Web3 aims for pure decentralization, Web 4.0 tries to balance that with regulation. The EU is being cautious, learning from Web2’s mistakes where platforms did whatever they wanted without control. They want to protect privacy, child safety, prevent hate speech, and ensure platform companies take real responsibility.

The fundamental difference is that Web3 prefers that code controls everything, while Web 4.0 seeks corporate responsibility. Web3 is in an experimental phase, Web 4.0 is more of a future vision that combines the best of both worlds.

Of course, the EU faces huge challenges: internal disagreements about these technologies, the need to balance innovation with risk control, and their decisions will likely influence how other countries regulate this. But what’s clear is that Web 4.0 will be more accessible and responsible than what we see today with Web3.

The European strategy on Web 4.0 is basically saying: we won’t let the Web2 disaster happen again, but we also won’t reject innovation. It’s a delicate balance that everyone is watching.