As well as enabling the good side of humanity the internet is also used to express the dark side, the developer said to the BBC yesterday.
He said: "It's staggering to me how people who clearly must have been brought up like anybody else will suddenly become very polarised in their opinions and suddenly become very hateful.
"This ability is that people in the human race can polarise and demonise each other."
The Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, said that trolls, those who harass or threaten online, could face up to two years in prison under new legislation.
Sir Tim, who helped create the world wide web in 1989, said the possible solution could be web-based tools built to "help us keep people on the path of collaborating rather than fighting."
Brenda Leyland, who was found dead in a hotel room this month, was accused of being one of a dozen online users who "trolled" the parents of Madeleine McCann, who went missing after she was left alone for the evening by her family in a Praia da Luz holiday apartment in 2007.
When asked why she was virtually attacking Kate and Gerry McCann before she died earlier this month, Ms Leyland is reported to have answered: "I’m entitled to do that."
Brenda Leyland, right, was accused of trolling Kate and Gerry McCann
Peter Nunn from Bristol, 33, was jailed for 18 weeks last month for sending abusive messages on Twitter to Labour MP Stella Creasy.
Last week TV host Judy Finnegan made off-the-cuff remarks that footballer and convicted rapist Ched Evans had "served his time" for a crime that wasn't "violent" like a street attack rape.
This resulted in rape threats being sent to her daughter Chloe Madeley from those incensed by her comments, although she has apologised for her choice of words.
Chloe had said that being able to send malicious messages should not be considered freedom of speech, but that it should be viewed as “online terrorism” and her TV host father Richard warned the trolls that they could expect a visit from the police.
The victim raped by Evans was named by trolls on Twitter 6,000 times despite being granted lifelong anonymity by the courts and up to 10 people have admitted to the charges.
The penalty for sending menacing, obscene or offensive communications is currently set at six months in prison, a level five fine up to £5,000, or both.
Mr Grayling had said: “No one would permit such venom in person, so there should be no place for it on social media. That is why we are determined to quadruple the current six-month sentence.”
In 2011 the CPS brought more than 2,000 prosecutions under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.
He said: "It's staggering to me how people who clearly must have been brought up like anybody else will suddenly become very polarised in their opinions and suddenly become very hateful.
"This ability is that people in the human race can polarise and demonise each other."
The Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, said that trolls, those who harass or threaten online, could face up to two years in prison under new legislation.
Sir Tim, who helped create the world wide web in 1989, said the possible solution could be web-based tools built to "help us keep people on the path of collaborating rather than fighting."
Brenda Leyland, who was found dead in a hotel room this month, was accused of being one of a dozen online users who "trolled" the parents of Madeleine McCann, who went missing after she was left alone for the evening by her family in a Praia da Luz holiday apartment in 2007.
When asked why she was virtually attacking Kate and Gerry McCann before she died earlier this month, Ms Leyland is reported to have answered: "I’m entitled to do that."
Brenda Leyland, right, was accused of trolling Kate and Gerry McCann
Peter Nunn from Bristol, 33, was jailed for 18 weeks last month for sending abusive messages on Twitter to Labour MP Stella Creasy.Last week TV host Judy Finnegan made off-the-cuff remarks that footballer and convicted rapist Ched Evans had "served his time" for a crime that wasn't "violent" like a street attack rape.
This resulted in rape threats being sent to her daughter Chloe Madeley from those incensed by her comments, although she has apologised for her choice of words.
Chloe had said that being able to send malicious messages should not be considered freedom of speech, but that it should be viewed as “online terrorism” and her TV host father Richard warned the trolls that they could expect a visit from the police.
The victim raped by Evans was named by trolls on Twitter 6,000 times despite being granted lifelong anonymity by the courts and up to 10 people have admitted to the charges.
The penalty for sending menacing, obscene or offensive communications is currently set at six months in prison, a level five fine up to £5,000, or both.
Mr Grayling had said: “No one would permit such venom in person, so there should be no place for it on social media. That is why we are determined to quadruple the current six-month sentence.”
In 2011 the CPS brought more than 2,000 prosecutions under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.
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