The man credited with creating the web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, is concerned with the fact that the Internet has become a source of disinformation and rumor.

He said that he was especially concerned by the way the web had been used to stoke fears that the switching on of the Large Hadron Collider would destroy the earth, and to spread rumors that the combined MMR vaccine was causing harm to children.

"On the web, the thinking of cults can spread very rapidly and suddenly a cult which was 12 people who had some deep personal issues suddenly find a formula which is very believable," he told the BBC.

Yesterday, Berners-Lee announced his latest effort in fostering the development of the web, the World Wide Web Foundation. The new foundation is intended to foster open and expanded access to the web, but also has the somewhat amazing goal of improving the quality of information found on the Internet. The World Wide Web Foundation, scheduled to launch early next year.

In addition, a major focus of the foundation will be to provide Web access to the 80% of the world's population that is not
currently connected to the Internet, said Berners-Lee, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Berners-Lee also mentioned two main targets for the Web: to advance and create new forms of democracy, including meritocracies, and to help improve health care.

The World Wide Web Foundation was announced at a dinner at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., Sunday night.