Internet Society

Internet Society
Name	Internet Society
Founded	0 1992
Founders	Vint Cerf, Bob Kahn
Type	Nonprofit organization
Focus	Internet standards, education, access, policy
Headquarters	Reston, Virginia, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Andrew Sullivan (President & CEO)
Website	https://www.internetsociety.org

Internet Society. Founded in 1992 by Internet pioneers Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, it is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet. It provides leadership in Internet standards, education, access, and policy, operating through a worldwide network of chapters and members. The organization is closely associated with the work of the Internet Engineering Task Force and plays a crucial role in supporting the technical and operational foundations of the global network.

History

The formation was catalyzed by the need for an institutional home and funding source for the Internet Engineering Task Force and other critical standards bodies following the transition from the ARPANET to a commercially viable global network. Early support came from the Corporation for National Research Initiatives and key figures like Lyman Chapin. A significant early achievement was its role in the establishment of the Internet Architecture Board as a formal committee. Throughout the 1990s, it helped foster the growth of Internet exchange points globally and supported the development of critical protocols. It was also instrumental in the creation of the Public Interest Registry, which manages the .org top-level domain.

Mission and goals

Its core mission is to promote the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world. Primary goals include supporting the development and application of open Internet standards through bodies like the Internet Engineering Task Force. It advocates for robust, secure, and interoperable network infrastructure, exemplified by initiatives promoting IPv6 deployment and Border Gateway Protocol security. A central focus is expanding global access and connectivity, particularly in underserved regions, and defending an Internet governance model that is multistakeholder, inclusive, and bottom-up.

Organizational structure

Governance is provided by a board of trustees, which includes elected and appointed members from the global community. The organization maintains a professional staff headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with regional bureaus in locations like Geneva, Singapore, and Nairobi. A fundamental component is its global network of volunteer-led chapters, such as the Internet Society Netherlands Chapter and the Internet Society Ghana Chapter, which advance its mission locally. It also comprises individual and organizational members, including companies like Google and Microsoft, who participate in its advisory councils.

Key initiatives and programs

Major technical initiatives include the Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security project, a global effort to improve the security of the Border Gateway Protocol. The organization runs the Internet Society Fellowship to the Internet Engineering Task Force, which supports participation from diverse regions in standards development. Through its Community Networks project, it provides training and resources to help local groups build their own connectivity solutions in areas from the Apache Nation to rural Kenya. Other significant programs focus on encryption, Internet shutdowns, and measuring Internet resilience.

Advocacy and policy positions

It is a leading advocate for the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, often participating in forums like the Internet Governance Forum and ICANN. The organization strongly opposes government-mandated Internet shutdowns, documenting their economic and social impact in countries like Myanmar and Ethiopia. It champions the deployment of IPv6 as critical for the Internet's future growth and security. Core policy principles include support for strong end-to-end encryption, opposition to centralized control of key Internet resources, and promotion of net neutrality principles to preserve the Internet's open nature.

Publications and resources

It produces influential reports such as the annual Global Internet Report, which analyzes trends in Internet access, security, and trust. The Internet Society Pulse platform offers data and research on topics like Internet resilience and encryption adoption. It publishes in-depth policy briefs on issues ranging from data localization to artificial intelligence. The organization also provides extensive educational materials, including tutorials on Internet of Things security and the Online Trust Alliance toolkit, and maintains the Internet Hall of Fame.

Category:Internet organizations Category:Internet governance Category:Non-profit organizations based in Virginia Category:Organizations established in 1992