Berners-Lee, who is often described as the inventor of the World Wide Web, was speaking out against the U.K.'s . Berners-Lee is a U.K. native.

He acknowledged that users reveal deeply personal information about themselves through their use of the Web.

"You get to know every detail, you get to know, in a way, more intimate details about their life than any person that they talk to, because often people will confide in the Internet as they find their way through medical websites ... or as an adolescent finds their way through a website about homosexuality, wondering what they are and whether they should talk to people about it," he said.

But rather than pushing companies to stop collecting the information, Berners-Lee suggested technology companies should show more restraint in how they use the information and should share it with the users themselves.

"We're moving towards a world in which people agree not to use information for particular purposes. It's not whether you can get my information, it's when you've got it, what you promise not to do with it," he said.