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Mozilla VP Linda Griffin Reflects on Six Decades of Internet Change Ahead of Computer Weekly's 60th Anniversary
On September 22, 2026, Computer Weekly celebrated its 60th anniversary. To mark the milestone, the magazine invited experts, parliamentarians, IT leaders and suppliers to describe how technology has reshaped their lives over six decades. Among the voices was Linda Griffin, vice president of global policy at Mozilla, who shared a personal journey that spans Ireland, China, and the evolving web.
Griffin left university fresh‑out of campus and packed a rucksack for the west coast of Ireland before heading east to Shanghai, a city of 14 million people. In the early 2000s the internet was still dial‑up; web access lagged, email addresses were unwieldy, and online chat was a novelty. As a student of politics, she saw the emerging web as a transformative tool that could broaden her daily reading from local newspapers to global coverage of politics, economics and culture.
In Shanghai, Griffin worked to prepare young Chinese students for study at English‑speaking universities. She expected the same openness she had experienced in Ireland, but found that China was rapidly modernising while still enforcing state controls, especially over information. Publications such as The New York Times were not behind a paywall, yet they were blocked by the Chinese firewall. Griffin described the experience as “significantly curtailed by someone, somewhere, sitting in an office deciding what I could read.”
That moment cemented her belief that the web’s openness is vital. “The promise of the web was a space for what Tim Berners‑Lee calls inter‑creativity,” she said. “Openness gives us access to information, ideas, and ways to collaborate.” She also stresses plurality, arguing that a single company or a few individuals controlling the internet would stifle innovation. Finally, she calls for value‑neutral regulation, suggesting that policy should be guided by the values it promotes rather than framed as “innovation versus regulation.”
Griffin’s career has centered on Mozilla’s mission to keep the web open. She joined the organization because it is an internet pioneer that has built browsers and open‑source projects since the 1990s. Mozilla’s Gecko engine, one of only three major browser engines worldwide, powers Firefox and other applications. Griffin explains that browser engines do more than render web pages; they decide what information users see, what data is collected, and how artificial intelligence is integrated.
She has spoken publicly about the need for user choice in AI. In a recent statement, she criticized Microsoft’s Copilot integration, saying that the company “pushed Copilot into every corner of Windows it could find without giving users a meaningful say.” Her comments reflect a broader conversation about AI governance that has moved from safety to concerns about competition, transparency and user choice.
Mozilla’s policy work is part of a wider industry push to shape AI’s role on the web. The organization has been involved in discussions about the EU AI Act, U.S. state regulations, and China’s generative‑AI rules. According to reports, the EU AI Act’s risk tiers are now enforceable, and U.S. states are issuing audit letters and procurement guidelines.
Griffin’s reflections illustrate how early internet access and censorship experiences can inform policy positions today. Her emphasis on openness, plurality and value‑neutral regulation echoes the concerns of many technologists who see the web as a public good.
At present, Mozilla continues to develop its policy agenda, focusing on AI governance, privacy, and open standards. The organization is preparing to engage with upcoming regulatory frameworks and industry initiatives that will shape the next 25 years of the internet. The conversation remains open, with stakeholders urged to help others find their voice rather than allowing a single office to decide what can be read.
Griffin left university fresh‑out of campus and packed a rucksack for the west coast of Ireland before heading east to Shanghai, a city of 14 million people. In the early 2000s the internet was still dial‑up; web access lagged, email addresses were unwieldy, and online chat was a novelty. As a student of politics, she saw the emerging web as a transformative tool that could broaden her daily reading from local newspapers to global coverage of politics, economics and culture.
In Shanghai, Griffin worked to prepare young Chinese students for study at English‑speaking universities. She expected the same openness she had experienced in Ireland, but found that China was rapidly modernising while still enforcing state controls, especially over information. Publications such as The New York Times were not behind a paywall, yet they were blocked by the Chinese firewall. Griffin described the experience as “significantly curtailed by someone, somewhere, sitting in an office deciding what I could read.”
That moment cemented her belief that the web’s openness is vital. “The promise of the web was a space for what Tim Berners‑Lee calls inter‑creativity,” she said. “Openness gives us access to information, ideas, and ways to collaborate.” She also stresses plurality, arguing that a single company or a few individuals controlling the internet would stifle innovation. Finally, she calls for value‑neutral regulation, suggesting that policy should be guided by the values it promotes rather than framed as “innovation versus regulation.”
Griffin’s career has centered on Mozilla’s mission to keep the web open. She joined the organization because it is an internet pioneer that has built browsers and open‑source projects since the 1990s. Mozilla’s Gecko engine, one of only three major browser engines worldwide, powers Firefox and other applications. Griffin explains that browser engines do more than render web pages; they decide what information users see, what data is collected, and how artificial intelligence is integrated.
She has spoken publicly about the need for user choice in AI. In a recent statement, she criticized Microsoft’s Copilot integration, saying that the company “pushed Copilot into every corner of Windows it could find without giving users a meaningful say.” Her comments reflect a broader conversation about AI governance that has moved from safety to concerns about competition, transparency and user choice.
Mozilla’s policy work is part of a wider industry push to shape AI’s role on the web. The organization has been involved in discussions about the EU AI Act, U.S. state regulations, and China’s generative‑AI rules. According to reports, the EU AI Act’s risk tiers are now enforceable, and U.S. states are issuing audit letters and procurement guidelines.
Griffin’s reflections illustrate how early internet access and censorship experiences can inform policy positions today. Her emphasis on openness, plurality and value‑neutral regulation echoes the concerns of many technologists who see the web as a public good.
At present, Mozilla continues to develop its policy agenda, focusing on AI governance, privacy, and open standards. The organization is preparing to engage with upcoming regulatory frameworks and industry initiatives that will shape the next 25 years of the internet. The conversation remains open, with stakeholders urged to help others find their voice rather than allowing a single office to decide what can be read.
