The Internet: A global network

The Internet is a global network that consists of autonomous networks that are voluntarily interconnected. It functions without a central governing body. The technical basis and standardization of the core protocols (IPv4 and IPv6) is an activity of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a non-profit organization of loosely affiliated international participants that anyone can associate with by providing technical expertise. To maintain interoperability, the Internet’s major namespaces are managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN is governed by an international board of directors drawn from the Internet technical, business, academic, and other non-commercial communities.

ICANN coordinates the assignment of unique identifiers for use on the Internet, including domain names, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, application port numbers in transport protocols, and many other parameters. Globally unified namespaces are necessary to maintain the global reach of the Internet. This role of ICANN recognizes that it is the single central coordinating body of the global Internet.

Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) were established for five regions of the world. African Network Information Center (AFRINIC) for Africa, American Registry for Internet Numbers (ARIN) for North America, Asia-Pacific Network Information Center (APNIC) for Asia and the Pacific region, Registry of Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses (LACNIC for Latin America and the Caribbean region), and Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia RIPEOS IP Europeans – Network Coordination Center (RIPE NCC) is tasked with assigning Internet Protocol address blocks and other Internet parameters to local registries. As an Internet service provider from a designated pool of addresses allocated to each region.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, an agency of the United States Department of Commerce, had final approval on changes to the DNS root zone until IANA took over on October 1, 2016. The Internet Society (ISOC) was established in 1992 “with the objective of ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people worldwide”. Its members include individuals (anyone can join) as well as corporations, organizations, governments, and universities. Among other activities, ISOC provides administrative services to several less formally organized groups involved in Internet development and maintenance, including the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet Architecture Board (IAB), and the Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG).