Web4 is the name given to the next stage in the evolution of the internet, following Web1, Web2, and Web3. Each earlier stage of the web added a new capability: Web1 allowed people to read content, Web2 added the ability to write and share content, and Web3 introduced the idea of owning digital assets, such as tokens, without needing a platform's permission.
Web4 builds on this progression by extending true ownership across the entire technical stack — not just to a narrow slice like tokens, but to identity, connectivity, computing power, naming, software tools, applications, and even hardware. In practical terms, this means a person's digital identity, data, and online activity are designed to remain under their own control, rather than being held and managed by a handful of large platforms and service providers.
Web4 also introduces a fourth core capability alongside reading, writing, and owning: the ability to act. This means autonomous software agents — such as AI assistants that complete tasks on a person's behalf — can be given clearly defined, time-limited permissions to act, rather than relying on long-lived, broadly scoped access that is harder to control or revoke.