Who governs/regulates/controls the Internet?

Who Control  THE INTERNET 


• A collective free-for-all?
• A collaborative technocracy?
• A commercial communications network?



This is a difficult question! The Internet grew as a collaborative network of researchers keen
to share their discoveries in a simple, accessible way. Because of this, there was no real need
to regulate or control the Internet; the information was already free and was of interest only to
other researchers, so it didn't need protection. But as the Internet has grown, it has become a
more commercial, public entity, and some who use it now wish it to be governed and policed
to prevent certain types of abuse.
However, there are various bodies that govern parts of the Internet, which we'll look at in the
next few paragraphs.


Domain names


• Map numeric addresses to mnemonic names
• Allocated first-come, first-served (usually)
• One of first areas of dispute over control


One form of control that is necessary (and possible) is the name service, which allocates Domain
Names on the Internet. These are unique names for subnetworks, which allow easier (human)
access to Internet addresses. So, instead of having to remember that Exeter's (numeric) addresses
all begin 144.173, you can just use .ex.ac.uk at the end of a name. (We'll explain more
about addressing in the next lecture).
In the UK, these domain names (all ending in .uk) are managed by an organisation called
Nominet.UK. It delegates some UK addresses to other organisations, such as UKERNA (for
.ac.uk and .gov.uk addresses), but manages most itself.


Internet Protocol Addresses


• System of unique numbers needed to find each host
• Managed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA)



Every computer, server and other device that connects to the internet needs an address to be
found, and these need to be unique across the whole of the network. Managing to keep these
unique and ordered is the job of IANA, the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority.


Other bodies and institutions


• Internet Society (ISOC)
• oversees other Internet organisations
• Internet Architecture Board (IAB)
• manages technical direction of the Internet
• Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
• standardises technical developments (through RFCs)


On a global level, things are more complex. Since the Internet grew primarily out of the United
States, the bodies that control the Internet worldwide are organised from there. The main body
is IANA, and as previously mentioned, this has overall control for assigning numeric addresses.
Recently, a new corporation, called ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers, was set up to oversee this role and other important aspects of Internet governance. All
of these organisations, and many more governing and researching aspects of the Internet, are
members of the Internet Society, as shown in Figure 1.3, “The Internet Society Structure”.





Figure 1.3. The Internet Society Structure

Who owns the Internet?

• ISPs are charged by network providers for use of backbone

• ISPs sometimes own parts of backbone

• Government bodies also own parts (e.g. JANET)

• Internet traffic travels over many networks, separately owned

This again is a difficult question. The individual networks and connections are owned by many
individual companies and organisations, and each makes the chunks it owns available to be used
to a greater or lesser extent creating the Internet as a whole. So, when you connect to your
ISP from home, you are effectively leasing a connection to their part of the network. They in
turn will lease connections to ISPs and network providers 'upstream', and so on. The core UK
network providers own and maintain a backbone of connections criss-crossing the country. Other
providers run connections to Europe and the United States, and so on.
So when you send an email from your computer in Exeter to your Aunt in Peru or your best
friend travelling the world and connecting in a cybercafe in Touva, the message is travelling via many networks owned by many people, companies and government bodies. What's remarkable
is that you're not charged by each company en route, since they all cooperate and allow (almost)
all traffic to pass through. Payment is made through the chain of ISPs by each ISP paying for
its right to connect higher up the chain, and agreeing to pass traffic through its own network.
It's a model that works well, though it is becoming more complex as the commercial value of
connectivity increases.
The multiple ownership of the Internet also has implications for the security of your messages,
as your text will pass through many networks and may be readable by any of them (unless you
take steps to safeguard it)


Discussion
1. If you're connected at home, are you happy with your ISP's service and charges?
2. If in University accommodation, are you using ResNet?
3. Do you have a DSL connection? Have you chosen an unmetered service?
4. Do you think the Internet is an anarchy, a democracy, or just a bunch of geeks?
5. Should there be an Internet governing body, with absolute power over its content and
use?