Internet governance

Internet governance is the development and application of shared rules, standards, and policies for the Internet. It is distributed across governments, technical bodies, businesses, and civil society rather than controlled by one authority.

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers: A nonprofit organization coordinating the Internet’s domain name system and global IP address allocation. It coordinates globally unique names and identifiers without governing all Internet activity.
ARPANET: A packet-switching research network funded by the United States Department of Defense and launched in 1969. Its early protocols and network coordination helped establish practices inherited by the Internet.
Domain Name System: The hierarchical naming system that maps human-readable Internet domain names to numerical network addresses. Its global uniqueness requires coordinated rules for registries, registrars, and names.
Digital sovereignty: The claim that states should exercise authority over digital infrastructure, data, and activity within their jurisdiction. It prioritizes national control where Internet governance often relies on transnational coordination.
Internet access: The ability of people and organizations to connect to and use Internet services. Policy and infrastructure decisions determine who can connect, at what cost, and under which conditions.
Internet Engineering Task Force: An open standards organization that develops technical protocols used to operate the Internet. Its voluntary standards shape how networks interoperate across organizational and national boundaries.
Internet protocol suite: The set of communication protocols, including IP and TCP, that enables interconnected networks to exchange data. Shared technical protocols made coordination across independently managed networks possible.
IP address allocation: The assignment and registration of numerical identifiers used to locate devices on IP networks. Policies determine how scarce address resources are distributed and recorded.
Cyber sovereignty: A model asserting each state’s authority to control Internet activity within its territory. It is a state-centered alternative to open, globally coordinated governance.
Digital divide: The gap between people with effective access to digital technologies and those without it. Unequal infrastructure and policy choices make governance outcomes uneven across communities.

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