Shape the future of the web

Web Standards for Policy Makers

This FREE virtual 8-week professional development course delves into how the technical decisions that govern the web actually get made, and how you can influence them. Learn to navigate W3C standards, participate in technical decision-making on accessibility, privacy, AI, and more, and understand how policy ideas can be implemented technically.

Led by W3C Technical Architecture Group co-chair Lola Odelola alongside expert voices from around the web standards world.

For Policy Professionals Ready to Level Up

Whether you're drafting digital legislation, defending online rights, or researching tech governance, this course gives you the technical fluency to be heard where it matters. Perfect for:

UK-based professionals and students
Government officials who want policies that actually work
Digital rights advocates fighting for real change
Graduate students building careers at the intersection of tech and policy
Researchers and civil society members tired of being excluded from technical conversations

No engineering background needed, just the drive to understand how the web really works and the ambition to help shape it.

The course will run from the 3rd of February - 24th of March, 2026. It will be held online, once a week, every Tuesday from 6 to 8pm, with the exception of the week of 16th of March when it will be held on the Thursday, March 19th, instead.

Registration closes on 16th of January and spaces are limited. Don't miss out, apply below.

What's Covered

Web standards governance and power dynamics: who controls the web and the limits of technical governance.
Multi-stakeholder decision-making processes and building consensus: how standards are made and when consensus fails.
Privacy standards and web tracking: technical privacy protections and how regulation works to prevent online tracking.
Security and encryption debates: standards for security and the regulatory tensions around encryption.
Accessibility standards and disability rights: How the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have influenced the UK Accessibility Regulations 2018.
AI in the web: what can be standardised in AI, what requires policy intervention, and what is outside the scope of the web.
Digital credentials and identity verification: technical constraints on age-verification and other identity verification methodologies.
Policy professionals in standards: practical frameworks for civil society participation.

If you have any questions, email: lola@lolaslab.co

Registration closes on 16th of January and spaces are limited. Don't miss out, apply below.