I
ICANN Content
Guest
Why We Need ‘One World, One Internet?’
Most of us rarely think about the air we breathe. It is always there, largely invisible, supporting us as we go about our daily lives.
Today, the Internet plays a similar role. More than 6 billion people rely on it to work, learn, access information, and connect with people around the world. Like digital oxygen, the Internet has become an essential part of everyday life. We usually only notice just how much we depend on it when we cannot connect.
Behind that everyday experience is something equally easy to overlook: The Internet works because thousands of individual networks connect to form one global, interoperable network. The Internet that is used to upload a photo in Kinshasa is the same Internet used to order food in Buenos Aires or to send an email to a friend in another country.
No single entity runs the Internet. Instead, its operation depends on coordination among many different organizations and people around the world. That decentralized approach has allowed the Internet to grow while remaining a shared global resource.
Part of making that possible is ensuring that people and devices can reliably find one another online. When you enter a domain name, send an email, or use another Internet service, unique names and numbers help direct you to the intended destination. These identifiers need to work consistently so that you can reach the same destination no matter where you connect to the Internet.
This is where the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) comes in. ICANN helps coordinate the Internet's unique identifier systems and ensure their stable and secure operation. Put simply, ICANN helps maintain the systems that allow the Internet's names and numbers to work together globally. This is the idea behind ICANN's tagline, “One World, One Internet.”
“One World, One Internet” describes an Internet that works as a single, globally interoperable network, rather than as separate networks for each country or region. Maintaining that Internet requires continued international coordination. Businesses, civil society, governments, the technical community, academia, and individual Internet users all have parts to play in this effort.
ICANN uses a multistakeholder approach to decision-making that brings all of these different groups together to develop processes and policies related to the Internet's unique identifier systems. Anyone can participate and contribute ideas, raise concerns, and help shape discussions.
The Internet may feel as though it is simply there, like the air around us. However, keeping this digital oxygen flowing takes people working together across borders, sectors, and communities. “One World, One Internet” depends on all of us.
What Does ICANN Do?
Whenever you visit a website or send an email, you expect to reach the right digital destination. You also expect the Internet to work the same way, whether you’re at home or traveling in another part of the world.
This is possible because the Internet is made up of thousands of individual networks that connect to form one global network. No matter where you are, you can find where you’re going on the Internet using unique addresses. As humans, we use names, while computers use numeric addresses corresponding to those names.
This is where the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) comes in. Founded in 1998, ICANN helps coordinate the Internet's system of names, addresses, and other identifiers. The Domain Name System (DNS) enables devices on the Internet to turn names used by humans into addresses used by computers.
ICANN also provides a venue for people to come together from around the world and discuss and develop policies related to the Internet’s unique identifiers. Rather than one entity making these decisions alone, any organization or individual can have a seat at the table. Governments, businesses, civil society, academia, the technical community, and Internet users all participate in ICANN’s global community.
This approach is known as multistakeholder governance. Through a bottom-up, consensus-based process, the ICANN community develops policies that support the security and stability of the DNS.
ICANN does not run the Internet – no single entity does. The Internet relies on many organizations and people to develop its technical standards, coordinate its policies, and operate its infrastructure.
ICANN works alongside organizations such as the Internet Engineering Task Force, the Internet Society, the Regional Internet Registries, and the World Wide Web Consortium. Each organization has a distinct role, and their collective work helps enable the Internet to function as one globally, interoperable network.
ICANN also is global in nature. Headquartered in Los Angeles, ICANN has four Regional Offices and four Engagement Centers across five continents. ICANN holds three Public Meetings each year in different geographic regions. These meetings bring together members of the ICANN community and the public to learn about ICANN and its work, exchange ideas, and advance policy work. Attendance is free and open to all, both in person and online.
For nearly three decades, ICANN has helped coordinate one small but essential part of a much larger system. By helping ensure that the Internet’s unique identifier systems remain secure, stable, and reliable, ICANN helps provide “One World, One Internet.”
What Is ICANN’s Mission and Vision?
Mission: To ensure the stable and secure operation of the Internet’s unique identifier systems.
Vision: As the trusted steward of the Internet’s unique identifier systems, ICANN is dedicated to strengthening the single, globally interoperable Internet for all.
ICANN’s mission is rooted in the Internet’s early development. As the Internet expanded globally, its systems of unique identifiers also needed to evolve. ICANN was founded in 1998 to coordinate these systems with participation from a global community.
While ICANN’s mission defines its enduring purpose, its vision reflects an important characteristic of the Internet: It consists of thousands of individual networks that work together as one globally interoperable network. A domain name should lead to the same intended destination regardless of where someone accesses it.
ICANN’s mission and vision connect the Internet’s past with its future. ICANN’s mission defines the essential technical role it was created to perform, while its vision builds on that foundation with the aspiration of protecting the Internet as we know it today for the next billion users. In other words, “One World, One Internet.”
Continue reading...
