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[[File:Internet users per 100 and GDP per capita.jpg|thumb|Internet users per 100 population members and [[GDP]] per capita for selected countries.]]
<!-- The Internet and the WWW are different concepts – please do not muddle them in this article :) -->
The '''Internet''' ([[contraction (grammar)|contraction]] of '''interconnected network''') is the global system of interconnected [[computer network]]s that use the [[Internet protocol suite]] (TCP/IP) to link devices worldwide. It is a ''network of networks'' that consists of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope, linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked [[hypertext]] documents and [[Web application|applications]] of the [[World Wide Web]] (WWW), [[email|electronic mail]], [[voice over IP|telephony]], and [[file sharing]].

The origins of the Internet date back to research commissioned by the [[federal government of the United States]] in the 1960s to build robust, fault-tolerant communication with computer networks.<ref>[http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_ipto.htm "IPTO – Information Processing Techniques Office"], ''The Living Internet'', Bill Stewart (ed), January 2000.</ref> The primary precursor network, the [[ARPANET]], initially served as a backbone for interconnection of regional academic and military networks in the 1980s. The funding of the [[National Science Foundation Network]] as a new backbone in the 1980s, as well as private funding for other commercial extensions, led to worldwide participation in the development of new networking technologies, and the merger of many networks.<ref>[http://www.livinginternet.com/i/ii_summary.htm "Internet History – One Page Summary"], ''The Living Internet'', Bill Stewart (ed), January 2000.</ref> The linking of commercial networks and enterprises by the early 1990s marked the beginning of the transition to the modern Internet,<ref>[http://www.nethistory.info/History%20of%20the%20Internet/origins.html "So, who really did invent the Internet?"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903001108/http://www.nethistory.info/History%20of%20the%20Internet/origins.html |date=3 September 2011 }}, Ian Peter, The Internet History Project, 2004. Retrieved 27 June 2014.</ref> and generated a sustained exponential growth as generations of institutional, [[personal computer|personal]], and [[mobile device|mobile]] computers were connected to the network. Although the Internet was widely used by [[academia]] since the 1980s, [[commercialization of the Internet|commercialization]] incorporated its services and technologies into virtually every aspect of modern life.

Most traditional communications media, including telephony, radio, television, paper mail and newspapers are reshaped, redefined, or even bypassed by the Internet, giving birth to new services such as [[email]], [[Internet telephony]], [[Internet television]], [[online music]], digital newspapers, and [[video streaming]] websites. Newspaper, book, and other print publishing are adapting to [[Web site|website]] technology, or are reshaped into [[blogging]], [[web feed]]s and online [[news aggregator]]s. The Internet has enabled and accelerated new forms of personal interactions through [[instant messaging]], [[Internet forum]]s, and [[social network service|social networking]]. [[Online shopping]] has grown exponentially both for major retailers and [[small business]]es and [[entrepreneur]]s, as it enables firms to extend their "[[brick and mortar]]" presence to serve a larger market or even [[Online store|sell goods and services entirely online]].  [[Business-to-business]] and [[financial services]] on the Internet affect [[supply chain]]s across entire industries.

The Internet has no single centralized governance in either technological implementation or policies for access and usage; each constituent network sets its own policies.<ref>[http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/who-owns-internet.htm "Who owns the Internet?"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140619070159/http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/who-owns-internet.htm |date=19 June 2014 }}, Jonathan Strickland, ''How Stuff Works''. Retrieved 27 June 2014.</ref> The overreaching definitions of the two principal [[name space]]s in the Internet, the [[IP address|Internet Protocol address]] (IP address) space and the [[Domain Name System]] (DNS), are directed by a maintainer organization, the [[Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers]] (ICANN). The technical underpinning and standardization of the core protocols is an activity of the [[Internet Engineering Task Force]] (IETF), a non-profit organization of loosely affiliated international participants that anyone may associate with by contributing technical expertise.<ref>"The Tao of IETF: A Novice's Guide to Internet Engineering Task Force", P. Hoffman and S. Harris, {{IETF RFC|4677}}, September 2006.</ref> In November 2006, the Internet was included on ''[[USA Today]]'''s list of ''[[Wonders of the World#USA Today's New Seven Wonders|New Seven Wonders]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2006-10-26-seven-wonders-experts_x.htm |title=New Seven Wonders panel |work=USA Today |date=October 27, 2006 |accessdate=July 31, 2010}}</ref>

== Terminology ==
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 32304 The Internet Messenger by Buky Schwartz.JPG|thumb|''The Internet Messenger'' by [[Buky Schwartz]], located in [[Holon]], [[Israel]]]]

{{See also|Capitalization of "Internet"}}

When the term ''Internet'' is used to refer to the specific global system of interconnected [[Internet Protocol]] (IP) networks, the word is a [[proper noun]]<ref>[http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/about16_rules.html The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527060356/http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/about16_rules.html |date=27 May 2013 }}: "capitalize World Wide Web and Internet"</ref> that should be written with an initial [[capital letter]]. In common use and the media, it is often erroneously not capitalized, viz. ''the internet.'' Some guides specify that the word should be capitalized when used as a noun, but not capitalized when used as an adjective.<ref>[http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/16/ch07/ch07_sec076.html?para= "7.76 Terms like 'web' and 'Internet'"], ''Chicago Manual of Style'', University of Chicago, 16th edition {{registration required}}</ref> The Internet is also often referred to as ''the Net'', as a short form of ''network''. Historically, as early as 1849, the word ''internetted'' was used uncapitalized as an adjective, meaning ''interconnected'' or ''interwoven''.<ref>{{OED|Internetted}} nineteenth-century use as an adjective.</ref> The designers of early computer networks used ''internet'' both as a noun and as a verb in shorthand form of [[internetwork]] or internetworking, meaning interconnecting computer networks.<ref>{{OED|Internetwork}}</ref>

The terms ''Internet'' and ''World Wide Web'' are often used interchangeably in everyday speech; it is common to speak of "''going on the Internet''" when using a [[web browser]] to view [[web page]]s. However, the [[World Wide Web]] or ''the Web'' is only one of a large number of Internet services. The Web is a collection of interconnected documents (web pages) and other [[web resource]]s, linked by [[hyperlink]]s and [[uniform resource locator|URLs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/links.html#h-12.1 |accessdate=13 August 2008 |publisher=World Wide Web Consortium |title=HTML 4.01 Specification |quote=[T]he link (or hyperlink, or Web link) [is] the basic hypertext construct. A link is a connection from one Web resource to another. Although a simple concept, the link has been one of the primary forces driving the success of the Web. |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006131915/http://www.w3.org/TR/html401/struct/links.html |archivedate=6 October 2008 |df= }}</ref> As another point of comparison, [[Hypertext Transfer Protocol]], or HTTP, is the language used on the Web for information transfer, yet it is just one of many languages or protocols that can be used for communication on the Internet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/Web_vs_Internet.asp |title=The Difference Between the Internet and the World Wide Web |publisher=QuinStreet Inc. |work=Webopedia.com |date=2010-06-24 |accessdate=2014-05-01 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502001005/http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/Web_vs_Internet.asp |archivedate=2 May 2014 |df= }}</ref> The term ''[[wikt:interweb|Interweb]]'' is a [[portmanteau]] of ''Internet'' and ''World Wide Web'' typically used sarcastically to parody a technically unsavvy user.

== History ==
{{Main|History of the Internet |History of the World Wide Web}}
Research into [[packet switching]], one of the fundamental Internet technologies, started in the early 1960s in the work of [[Paul Baran]] and [[Donald Davies]].<ref name="NIHF2007">{{cite web|url=http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=316|title=Inductee Details - Paul Baran|publisher=National Inventors Hall of Fame|accessdate=6 September 2017|postscript=none}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.invent.org/honor/inductees/inductee-detail/?IID=328|title=Inductee Details - Donald Watts Davies|publisher=National Inventors Hall of Fame|accessdate=6 September 2017}}</ref> Packet-switched networks such as the [[NPL network]], [[ARPANET]], the [[Merit Network]], [[CYCLADES]], and [[Telenet]] were developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kim |first1=Byung-Keun |title=Internationalising the Internet the Co-evolution of Influence and Technology |date=2005 |publisher=Edward Elgar |isbn=978-1-84542-675-0 |pages=51–55 |url={{Google books|lESrw3neDokC|page=PA53|keywords=|text=|plainurl=yes}} |df= }}</ref> The ARPANET project led to the development of [[Communications protocol|protocols]] for [[internetworking]], by which multiple separate networks could be joined into a network of networks.<ref>[http://www.internetsociety.org/internet/what-internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet#concepts "Brief History of the Internet: The Initial Internetting Concepts"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409105511/http://www.internetsociety.org/internet/what-internet/history-internet/brief-history-internet |date=9 April 2016 }}, Barry M. Leiner, et al., Internet Society, Retrieved 27 June 2014.</ref> ARPANET development began with two network nodes which were interconnected between the Network Measurement Center at the [[University of California, Los Angeles]] (UCLA) [[Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science]] directed by [[Leonard Kleinrock]], and the NLS system at [[SRI International]] (SRI) by [[Douglas Engelbart]] in [[Menlo Park, California|Menlo Park]], California, on 29 October 1969.<ref name="NetValley">[http://www.netvalley.com/intval.html "Roads and Crossroads of Internet History"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127082435/http://www.netvalley.com/intval.html |date=27 January 2016 }} by Gregory Gromov. 1995</ref> The third site was the Culler-Fried Interactive Mathematics Center at the [[University of California, Santa Barbara]], followed by the [[University of Utah]] Graphics Department. In an early sign of future growth, fifteen sites were connected to the young ARPANET by the end of 1971.<ref>{{cite book | authorlink = Katie Hafner | last = Hafner | first = Katie | title = Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet | publisher = Simon & Schuster | year = 1998 | isbn = 978-0-684-83267-8 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Hauben, Ronda |title=From the ARPANET to the Internet |year=2001 |url=http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/other/tcpdigest_paper.txt |accessdate=28 May 2009 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721093920/http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/other/tcpdigest_paper.txt |archivedate=21 July 2009 |df= }}</ref> These early years were documented in the 1972 film ''[[Computer Networks: The Heralds of Resource Sharing]]''.

Early international collaborations on the ARPANET were rare. European developers were concerned with developing the [[X.25]] networks.<ref>{{cite web | title=Events in British Telecomms History | work=Events in British TelecommsHistory | url=http://www.sigtel.com/tel_hist_brief.html | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030405153523/http://www.sigtel.com/tel_hist_brief.html | archivedate=5 April 2003 | accessdate=25 November 2005}}</ref> Notable exceptions were the Norwegian Seismic Array ([[NORSAR]]) in June 1973, followed in 1973 by Sweden with satellite links to the [[Tanum Municipality|Tanum]] Earth Station and [[Peter T. Kirstein]]'s research group in the United Kingdom, initially at the [[Institute of Computer Science]], [[University of London]] and later at [[University College London]].<ref>{{cite web |title=NORSAR and the Internet |url=http://www.norsar.no/norsar/about-us/History/Internet/ |publisher=NORSAR |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6CyxHpfIR?url=http://www.norsar.no/norsar/about-us/History/Internet/ |archivedate=17 December 2012 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref><ref>"#3 1982: the ARPANET community grows" in [https://www.vox.com/a/internet-maps ''40 maps that explain the internet''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306161657/http://www.vox.com/a/internet-maps |date=6 March 2017 }}, Timothy B. Lee, Vox Conversations, 2 June 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Kirstein |first1=Peter T. |title=Early experiences with the ARPANET and Internet in the UK |url=http://nrg.cs.ucl.ac.uk/internet-history.html |publisher=Department of Computer Science,  Systems and Networks Research Group, University College London |accessdate=13 April 2016 |postscript=none }}; {{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2012/12/queen-and-the-internet/ |title=How the Queen of England Beat Everyone to the Internet |author=Cade Metz |work=Wired Magazine |date=25 December 2012 |accessdate=27 June 2014 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140719055501/http://www.wired.com/2012/12/queen-and-the-internet/ |archivedate=19 July 2014 |df= }}</ref> In December 1974, {{IETF RFC|675}} (''Specification of Internet Transmission Control Program''), by [[Vinton Cerf]], Yogen Dalal, and Carl Sunshine, used the term ''internet'' as a shorthand for ''internetworking'' and later [[Request for Comments|RFCs]] repeated this use.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Barry M. |last1=Leiner |authorlink1= |first2=Vinton G. |last2=Cerf |authorlink2=Vinton G. Cerf |first3=David D. |last3=Clark |authorlink3=David D. Clark |first4=Robert E. |last4=Kahn |authorlink4=Robert E. Kahn |first5=Leonard |last5=Kleinrock |authorlink5=Leonard Kleinrock |first6=Daniel C. |last6=Lynch |authorlink6= |first7=Jon |last7=Postel |authorlink7=Jon Postel |first8=Larry G. |last8=Roberts |authorlink8=Lawrence Roberts (scientist) |first9=Stephen |last9=Wolff |authorlink9=Stephen Wolff |title=A Brief History of Internet |year=2003 |url=http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml |accessdate=28 May 2009 |bibcode=1999cs........1011L |page=1011 |arxiv=cs/9901011 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604153304/http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml |archivedate=4 June 2007 |df= }}</ref>  Access to the ARPANET was expanded in 1981 when the [[National Science Foundation]] (NSF) funded the [[CSNET|Computer Science Network]] (CSNET).  In 1982, the [[Internet Protocol Suite]] (TCP/IP) was standardized, which permitted worldwide proliferation of interconnected networks.

[[File:NSFNET-backbone-T3.png|thumb|T3 NSFNET Backbone, c. 1992.]]
TCP/IP network access expanded again in 1986 when the [[National Science Foundation Network]] (NSFNet) provided access to [[supercomputer]] sites in the United States for researchers, first at speeds of 56 kbit/s and later at 1.5 Mbit/s and 45 Mbit/s.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150210181738/http://www.merit.edu/about/history/pdf/NSFNET_final.pdf ''NSFNET: A Partnership for High-Speed Networking, Final Report 1987–1995''], Karen D. Frazer, Merit Network, Inc., 1995</ref> Commercial [[Internet service providers]] (ISPs) emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The ARPANET was decommissioned in 1990. [[Stanford Federal Credit Union]] was the first [[financial institution]] to offer online internet banking services to all of its members in October 1994.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Stanford Federal Credit Union Pioneers Online Financial Services.|date=1995-06-21|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Stanford+Federal+Credit+Union+Pioneers+Online+Financial+Services.-a017104850}}</ref> In 1996 [[OP Financial Group]], also a [[cooperative bank]], became the second online bank in the world and the first in Europe.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.op.fi/op-financial-group/about-us/op-financial-group-in-brief/history | title=History - About us - OP Group}}</ref> By 1995, the Internet was fully commercialized in the U.S. when the NSFNet was decommissioned, removing the last restrictions on use of the Internet to carry commercial traffic.<ref name=ConneXions-April1996>{{cite journal |url=http://www.merit.edu/research/nsfnet_article.php |title=Retiring the NSFNET Backbone Service: Chronicling the End of an Era |first=Susan R. |last=Harris |first2=Elise |last2=Gerich |journal=ConneXions |volume=10 |number=4 |date=April 1996 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817124939/http://merit.edu/research/nsfnet_article.php |archivedate=17 August 2013 |df= }}</ref> The Internet rapidly expanded in Europe and Australia in the mid to late 1980s<ref>{{cite journal | author=Ben Segal|authorlink=Ben Segal| title=A Short History of Internet Protocols at CERN | year=1995 | url=http://www.cern.ch/ben/TCPHIST.html}}</ref><ref>[[RIPE|Réseaux IP Européens]] (RIPE)</ref> and to Asia in the late 1980s and early 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Internet History in Asia |work=16th APAN Meetings/Advanced Network Conference in Busan |url=http://www.apan.net/meetings/busan03/cs-history.htm |accessdate=25 December 2005 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060201035514/http://apan.net/meetings/busan03/cs-history.htm |archivedate=1 February 2006 |df= }}</ref> The beginning of dedicated [[:wikt:transatlantic|transatlantic]] communication between the NSFNET and networks in Europe was established with a low-speed satellite relay between [[Princeton University]] and [[Stockholm, Sweden]] in December 1988.<ref>[http://www.nordu.net/history/TheHistoryOfNordunet_simple.pdf The History of NORDUnet] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031416/http://www.nordu.net/history/TheHistoryOfNordunet_simple.pdf |date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> Although other network protocols such as [[UUCP]] had global reach well before this time, this marked the beginning of the Internet as an intercontinental network.

Public commercial use of the Internet began in mid-1989 with the connection of MCI Mail and [[Compuserve]]'s email capabilities to the 500,000 users of the Internet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wDAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT31&lpg=PT31&dq=compuserve%20to%20mci%20mail%20internet#v=onepage&q=compuserve%20to%20mci%20mail%20internet |title=InfoWorld |first=InfoWorld Media Group |last=Inc |date=25 September 1989 |publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc. |via=Google Books |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129225422/https://books.google.com/books?id=wDAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT31&lpg=PT31&dq=compuserve%20to%20mci%20mail%20internet |archivedate=29 January 2017 |df= }}</ref> Just months later on 1 January 1990, PSInet launched an alternate Internet backbone for commercial use; one of the networks that would grow into the commercial Internet we know today. In March 1990, the first high-speed T1 (1.5 Mbit/s) link between the NSFNET and Europe was installed between [[Cornell University]] and [[CERN]], allowing much more robust communications than were capable with satellites.<ref>[ftp://ftp.cuhk.edu.hk/pub/doc/internet/Internet.Monthly.Report/imr9002.txt Ftp.cuhk.edu.hk]</ref> Six months later [[Tim Berners-Lee]] would begin writing [[WorldWideWeb]], the first [[web browser]] after two years of lobbying CERN management. By Christmas 1990, Berners-Lee had built all the tools necessary for a working Web: the [[HyperText Transfer Protocol]] (HTTP) 0.9,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.w3.org/Protocols/HTTP/AsImplemented.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970605071155/http://www.w3.org/Protocols/HTTP/AsImplemented.html |dead-url=yes |archive-date=5 June 1997 |first=Tim |last=Berners-Lee |title=The Original HTTP as defined in 1991 |work=W3C.org |df=dmy-all }}</ref> the [[HyperText Markup Language]] (HTML), the first Web browser (which was also a [[HTML editor]] and could access [[Usenet]] newsgroups and [[FTP]] files), the first HTTP [[server application|server software]] (later known as [[CERN httpd]]), the first [[web server]],<ref>[http://info.cern.ch info.cern.ch]  {{webarchive|url=https://www.webcitation.org/5msT2iV3b?url=http://info.cern.ch/ |date=18 January 2010 }}</ref> and the first Web pages that described the project itself. In 1991 the [[Commercial Internet eXchange]] was founded, allowing PSInet to communicate with the other commercial networks CERFnet and Alternet. Since 1995 the Internet has tremendously impacted culture and commerce, including the rise of near instant communication by email, [[instant messaging]], telephony ([[Voice over Internet Protocol]] or VoIP), [[Video chat|two-way interactive video calls]], and the [[World Wide Web]]<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5242252.stm How the web went world wide] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121092636/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5242252.stm |date=21 November 2011 }}, Mark Ward, Technology Correspondent, BBC News. Retrieved 24 January 2011</ref> with its [[discussion forums]], blogs, [[social networking]], and [[online shopping]] sites. Increasing amounts of data are transmitted at higher and higher speeds over fiber optic networks operating at 1-Gbit/s, 10-Gbit/s, or more.

{{Worldwide Internet users}}
The Internet continues to grow, driven by ever greater amounts of online information and knowledge, commerce, entertainment and [[social networking]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3626274 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081004000237/http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3626274|title=Brazil, Russia, India and China to Lead Internet Growth Through 2011 |publisher=Clickz.com |accessdate=28 May 2009|archivedate=4 October 2008}}</ref> During the late 1990s, it was estimated that traffic on the public Internet grew by 100 percent per year, while the mean annual growth in the number of Internet users was thought to be between 20% and 50%.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.dtc.umn.edu/~odlyzko/doc/internet.size.pdf |title=The size and growth rate of the Internet |accessdate=21 May 2007 |author=Coffman, K.G; [[Odlyzko]], A.M. |publisher=AT&T Labs |date=2 October 1998 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614012344/http://www.dtc.umn.edu/~odlyzko/doc/internet.size.pdf |archivedate=14 June 2007 |df= }}</ref> This growth is often attributed to the lack of central administration, which allows organic growth of the network, as well as the non-proprietary nature of the Internet protocols, which encourages vendor interoperability and prevents any one company from exerting too much control over the network.<ref>{{cite book | last = Comer | first = Douglas | title = The Internet book | publisher=Prentice Hall | page = 64 | isbn = 978-0-13-233553-9 | year = 2006}}</ref> {{as of|2011|March|31}}, the estimated total number of [[Internet users]] was 2.095 billion (30.2% of world population).<ref name="stats1">{{cite web|url=http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm|title=World Internet Users and Population Stats|date=22 June 2011|work=Internet World Stats|publisher=Miniwatts Marketing Group|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623200007/http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm|archivedate=23 June 2011|deadurl=no|accessdate=23 June 2011|df=}}<!-- previous cite {{cite web|url=http://www.50x15.com/en-us/internet_usage.aspx |title=AMD 50x15 – World Internet Usage |publisher=50x15.com |accessdate=6 November 2009 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831063352/http://www.50x15.com/en-us/internet_usage.aspx |archivedate=31 August 2009 |df= }} --></ref> It is estimated that in 1993 the Internet carried only 1% of the information flowing through two-way [[telecommunication]], by 2000 this figure had grown to 51%, and by 2007 more than 97% of all telecommunicated information was carried over the Internet.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2011/02/08/science.1200970.DC1/Hilbert-SOM.pdf |title=The World's Technological Capacity to Store, Communicate, and Compute Information |first=Martin |last=Hilbert |first2=Priscila |last2=López |date=April 2011 |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=332 |pages=60–65 |doi=10.1126/science.1200970 |issue=6025 |bibcode=2011Sci...332...60H |pmid=21310967 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531133712/http://www.sciencemag.org/content/suppl/2011/02/08/science.1200970.DC1/Hilbert-SOM.pdf |archivedate=31 May 2011 |df= }}</ref>

== Governance ==
{{Main|Internet governance}}
[[File:Icannheadquartersplayavista.jpg|thumb|ICANN headquarters in the [[Playa Vista, Los Angeles|Playa Vista]] neighborhood of [[Los Angeles]], California, United States.]]

The Internet is a [[global network]] that comprises many voluntarily interconnected autonomous networks. It operates without a central governing body. The technical underpinning 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 may associate with by contributing technical expertise. To maintain interoperability, the principal [[name space]]s of the Internet are administered by the [[Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers]] (ICANN). ICANN is governed by an international board of directors drawn from across the Internet technical, business, academic, and other non-commercial communities. ICANN coordinates the assignment of unique identifiers for use on the Internet, including [[domain name]]s, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, application port numbers in the transport protocols, and many other parameters. Globally unified name spaces are essential for maintaining the global reach of the Internet.  This role of ICANN distinguishes it as perhaps the only central coordinating body for the global Internet.<ref>Klein, Hans. (2004). [http://www.ip3.gatech.edu/research/KLEIN_ICANN%2BSovereignty.doc "ICANN and Non-Territorial Sovereignty: Government Without the Nation State."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524035251/http://www.ip3.gatech.edu/research/KLEIN_ICANN%2BSovereignty.doc |date=24 May 2013 }} Internet and Public Policy Project. [[Georgia Institute of Technology]].</ref>

[[Regional Internet Registry|Regional Internet Registries]] (RIRs) allocate IP addresses:
* [[AfriNIC|African Network Information Center]] (AfriNIC) for [[Africa]]
* [[American Registry for Internet Numbers]] (ARIN) for [[North America]]
* [[Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre]] (APNIC) for [[Asia]] and the [[Pacific region]]
* [[Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry]] (LACNIC) for [[Latin America]] and the [[Caribbean]] region
* [[RIPE|Réseaux IP Européens – Network Coordination Centre]] (RIPE NCC) for [[Europe]], the [[Middle East]], and [[Central Asia]]

The [[National Telecommunications and Information Administration]], an agency of the [[United States Department of Commerce]], had final approval over changes to the [[DNS root zone]] until the IANA stewardship transition on 1 October 2016.<ref>{{cite book |last= Packard |first= Ashley |title= Digital Media Law |publisher= Wiley-Blackwell |year= 2010  |isbn= 978-1-4051-8169-3 |page= 65}}</ref><ref>[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/01/bush_net_policy/ "Bush administration annexes internet"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919130539/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/01/bush_net_policy/ |date=19 September 2011 }}, Kieren McCarthy, The Register, 1 July 2005</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Mueller |first= Milton L. |title= Networks and States: The Global Politics of Internet Governance |publisher= MIT Press |year= 2010  |isbn= 978-0-262-01459-5 |page= 61}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=ICG Applauds Transfer of IANA Stewardship|url=https://www.ianacg.org/icg-applauds-transfer-of-iana-stewardship/|website=IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group (ICG)|accessdate=8 June 2017}}</ref> The [[Internet Society]] (ISOC) was founded in 1992 with a mission to ''"assure the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world"''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/isochistory.shtml |title=Internet Society (ISOC) All About The Internet: History of the Internet |publisher=ISOC |accessdate=2013-12-19 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127114016/http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/isochistory.shtml |archivedate=27 November 2011 |df= }}</ref> Its members include individuals (anyone may join) as well as corporations, [[organizations]], governments, and universities. Among other activities ISOC provides an administrative home for a number of less formally organized groups that are involved in developing and managing the Internet, including: the [[Internet Engineering Task Force]] (IETF), [[Internet Architecture Board]] (IAB), [[Internet Engineering Steering Group]] (IESG), [[Internet Research Task Force]] (IRTF), and [[Internet Research Steering Group]] (IRSG). On 16 November 2005, the United Nations-sponsored [[World Summit on the Information Society]] in [[Tunis]] established the [[Internet Governance Forum]] (IGF) to discuss Internet-related issues.

== Infrastructure ==
{{See also|List of countries by number of Internet users|List of countries by Internet connection speeds}}
[[File:World map of submarine cables.png|thumb|2007 map showing submarine fiberoptic telecommunication cables around the world.]]
The communications infrastructure of the Internet consists of its hardware components and a system of software layers that control various aspects of the architecture.

=== Routing and service tiers ===
[[File:Internet Connectivity Distribution & Core.svg|thumb|Packet routing across the Internet involves several tiers of Internet service providers.]]

[[Internet service provider]]s (ISPs) establish the worldwide connectivity between individual networks at various levels of scope. End-users who only access the Internet when needed to perform a function or obtain information, represent the bottom of the routing hierarchy. At the top of the routing hierarchy are the [[tier 1 network]]s, large telecommunication companies that exchange traffic directly with each other via very high speed [[fibre optic cable]]s and governed by [[peering]] agreements. [[Tier 2 network|Tier 2]] and lower level networks buy [[Internet transit]] from other providers to reach at least some parties on the global Internet, though they may also engage in peering. An ISP may use a single upstream provider for connectivity, or implement [[multihoming]] to achieve redundancy and load balancing. [[Internet exchange point]]s are major traffic exchanges with physical connections to multiple ISPs. Large organizations, such as academic institutions, large enterprises, and governments, may perform the same function as ISPs, engaging in peering and purchasing transit on behalf of their internal networks. Research networks tend to interconnect with large subnetworks such as [[GEANT]], [[GLORIAD]], [[Internet2]], and the UK's [[national research and education network]], [[JANET]]. Both the Internet IP routing structure and hypertext links of the World Wide Web are examples of [[scale-free network]]s.<ref>{{cite journal
 |last=A. L. Barab'asi
 |first=R. Albert
 |title=Statistical mechanics of complex networks
 |journal=Rev. Mod. Phys.
 |year=2002
 |volume=74
 |issue=1
 |pages=47–94
 |url=http://rmp.aps.org/abstract/RMP/v74/i1/p47_1
 |archive-url=https://archive.is/20120714043940/http://rmp.aps.org/abstract/RMP/v74/i1/p47_1
 |dead-url=yes
 |archive-date=2012-07-14
 |doi=10.1103/RevModPhys.74.47
 |last2=Barabási
 |first2=Albert-László
 |arxiv=cond-mat/0106096
 |bibcode=2002RvMP...74...47A
|citeseerx=10.1.1.242.4753
 }}</ref>{{Disputed inline|discuss = Talk:Internet#Empirical_evidence_that_hypertext_link_network_is_scale-free|for=unclear whether citation supports claim empricially|date=November 2018}} Computers and routers use [[routing table]]s in their operating system to [[IP forwarding|direct IP packets]] to the next-hop router or destination. Routing tables are maintained by manual configuration or automatically by [[routing protocol]]s. End-nodes typically use a [[default route]] that points toward an ISP providing transit, while ISP routers use the [[Border Gateway Protocol]] to establish the most efficient routing across the complex connections of the global Internet.

An estimated 70 percent of the world's Internet traffic passes through [[Ashburn, Virginia|Ashburn]], [[Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://biz.loudoun.gov/key-business-sectors/data-centers/|title=Data Centers – Loudoun County Economic Development, VA|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-business/wp/2014/03/05/why-ashburn-va-is-the-center-of-the-internet/|title=Why Ashburn, Va. is the center of the Internet|first=Jonathan|last=O'Connell|date=5 March 2014|publisher=|via=www.washingtonpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://gizmodo.com/5913934/the-bullseye-of-americas-internet|title=The Bullseye of America's Internet|first=Andrew|last=Blum|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2016/09/14/70-percent-worlds-web-traffic-flows-loudoun-county/|title=70 Percent of the World's Web Traffic Flows Through Loudoun County |date=14 September 2016|publisher=Washingtonian}}</ref>

=== Access ===
Common methods of [[Internet access]] by users include dial-up with a computer [[modem]] via telephone circuits, [[Broadband Internet access|broadband]] over [[coaxial cable]], [[Optical fiber|fiber optics]] or copper wires, [[Wi-Fi]], [[Satellite Internet|satellite]], and [[mobile telephony|cellular telephone]] technology (e.g. [[3G]], [[4G]]). The Internet may often be accessed from computers in libraries and [[Internet cafe]]s. [[Internet kiosk|Internet access points]] exist in many public places such as airport halls and coffee shops. Various terms are used, such as ''public Internet kiosk'', ''public access terminal'', and ''Web [[payphone]]''. Many hotels also have public terminals that are usually fee-based. These terminals are widely accessed for various usages, such as ticket booking, bank deposit, or online payment. Wi-Fi provides wireless access to the Internet via local computer networks. [[Hotspot (Wi-Fi)|Hotspots]] providing such access include [[Wi-Fi#Internet access|Wi-Fi cafes]], where users need to bring their own wireless devices such as a laptop or [[Personal Digital Assistant|PDA]]. These services may be free to all, free to customers only, or fee-based.

[[Grassroots]] efforts have led to [[wireless community network]]s. Commercial Wi-Fi services covering large city areas are in many cities, such as [[New York City|New York]], [[London]], [[Vienna]], [[Toronto]], [[San Francisco]], [[Philadelphia]], [[Chicago]] and [[Pittsburgh]]. The Internet can then be accessed from places, such as a park bench.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pasternak |first=Sean B. |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=aQ0ZfhMa4XGQ |title=Toronto Hydro to Install Wireless Network in Downtown Toronto |publisher=Bloomberg |date=7 March 2006 |accessdate=8 August 2011 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060410104717/http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000082&sid=aQ0ZfhMa4XGQ |archivedate=10 April 2006 |df= }}</ref> Apart from Wi-Fi, there have been experiments with proprietary mobile wireless networks like [[Ricochet (Internet service)|Ricochet]], various high-speed data services over cellular phone networks, and fixed wireless services. High-end mobile phones such as [[smartphone]]s in general come with Internet access through the phone network. Web browsers such as [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]] are available on these advanced handsets, which can also run a wide variety of other Internet software. Internet usage by mobile and tablet devices exceeded desktop worldwide for the first time in October 2016.<ref>"StatCounter Global Stats finds that mobile and tablet devices accounted for 51.3% of internet usage worldwide in October compared to 48.7% by desktop." [http://gs.statcounter.com/press/mobile-and-tablet-internet-usage-exceeds-desktop-for-first-time-worldwide], StatCounter: Global Stats, Press Release, 1 November 2016.</ref> An Internet access provider and protocol matrix differentiates the methods used to get online.

==== Internet and mobile ====
[[File:Number_of_mobile_cellular_subscriptions_2012-2016.svg|thumb|215x215px|Number of mobile cellular subscriptions 2012–2016, [http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0026/002610/261065e.pdf ''World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Global Report 2017/2018'']]]
According to the [[International Telecommunication Union]] (ITU), by the end of 2017, an estimated 48 per cent of individuals regularly connect to the internet, up from 34 per cent in 2012.<ref>International Telecommunication Union (ITU). 2017a. Key ICT indicators for developed and developing countries and the world (totals and penetration rates). World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators database. Available at <<nowiki>http://www.itu.int:80/en/</nowiki> ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/wtid. aspx>.</ref> [[Mobile Web|Mobile internet]] connectivity has played an important role in expanding access in recent years especially in [[Asia-Pacific|Asia and the Pacific]] and in [[Africa]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Global Report 2017/2018|last=|first=|publisher=UNESCO|year=2018|isbn=|location=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0026/002610/261065e.pdf|pages=}}</ref> The number of unique mobile cellular subscriptions increased from 3.89 billion in 2012 to 4.83 billion in 2016, two-thirds of the world's population, with more than half of subscriptions located in Asia and the Pacific. The number of subscriptions is predicted to rise to 5.69 billion users in 2020.<ref name=":1">GSMA. 2017. The Mobile Economy 2017. Available at <<nowiki>https://www.gsma.com/</nowiki> mobileeconomy/>.</ref> {{as of|2016}}, almost 60 per cent of the world's population had access to a [[4G]] broadband cellular network, up from almost 50 per cent in 2015 and 11 per cent in 2012{{Disputed inline|Statistics on 4G access not found|date=December 2018}}.<ref name=":1" /> The limits that users face on accessing information via mobile applications coincide with a broader process of [[Fragmentation (computing)|fragmentation of the internet]]. Fragmentation restricts access to media content and tends to affect poorest users the most.<ref name=":0" />

[[Zero-rating]], the practice of [[Internet service provider|internet providers]] allowing users free connectivity to access specific content or applications for free, has offered some opportunities for individuals to surmount economic hurdles, but has also been accused by its critics as creating a 'two-tiered' internet. To address the issues with zero-rating, an alternative model has emerged in the concept of 'equal rating' and is being tested in experiments by [[Mozilla]] and [[Orange S.A.|Orange]] in [[Africa]]. Equal rating prevents prioritization of one type of content and zero-rates all content up to a specified data cap. A study published by [[Chatham House]], 15 out of 19 countries researched in [[Latin America]] had some kind of hybrid or zero-rated product offered. Some countries in the region had a handful of plans to choose from (across all mobile network operators) while others, such as [[Colombia]], offered as many as 30 pre-paid and 34 post-paid plans.<ref>Galpaya, Helani. 2017. Zero-rating in Emerging Economies. London: Chatham House. Available at <<nowiki>https://www.cigionline.org/</nowiki> sites/default/files/documents/GCIG%20 no.47_1.pdf>.</ref>

A study of eight countries in the [[Global South]] found that zero-rated data plans exist in every country, although there is a great range in the frequency with which they are offered and actually used in each.<ref>Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI). 2015. Models of Mobile Data Services in Developing Countries. Research brief. The Impacts of Emerging Mobile Data Services in Developing Countries. Available at <a4ai. org/the-impacts-of-emerging-mobiledata-services-in-developing-countries/>. The study looked at the top three to five carriers by market share in Bangladesh, Colombia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru and Philippines.</ref> Across the 181 plans examined, 13 per cent were offering zero-rated services. Another study, covering [[Ghana]], [[Kenya]], [[Nigeria]] and [[South Africa]], found [[Facebook]]'s Free Basics and [[Wikipedia Zero]] to be the most commonly zero-rated content.<ref>Gillwald, Alison, Chenai Chair, Ariel Futter, Kweku Koranteng, Fola Odufuwa, and John Walubengo. 2016. Much ado about nothing? Zero rating in the African context. Research ICT Africa Network. Available at <researchictafrica.net/publications/ Other_publications/2016_RIA_ZeroRating_Policy_Paper_-_Much_ado_about_ nothing.pdf>.</ref>

== Protocols ==
{{IP stack}}
While the hardware components in the Internet infrastructure can often be used to support other software systems, it is the design and the standardization process of the software that characterizes the Internet and provides the foundation for its scalability and success. The responsibility for the architectural design of the Internet software systems has been assumed by the [[Internet Engineering Task Force]] (IETF).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ietf.org/ |title=IETF Home Page |publisher=Ietf.org |accessdate=20 June 2009 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090618032558/http://www.ietf.org/ |archivedate=18 June 2009 |df= }}</ref> The IETF conducts standard-setting work groups, open to any individual, about the various aspects of Internet architecture. Resulting contributions and standards are published as ''[[Request for Comments]]'' (RFC) documents on the IETF web site. The principal methods of networking that enable the Internet are contained in specially designated RFCs that constitute the [[Internet Standard]]s. Other less rigorous documents are simply informative, experimental, or historical, or document the best current practices (BCP) when implementing Internet technologies.

The Internet standards describe a framework known as the [[Internet protocol suite]]. This is a model architecture that divides methods into a layered system of protocols, originally documented in {{IETF RFC|1122}} and {{IETF RFC|1123}}. The layers correspond to the environment or scope in which their services operate. At the top is the [[application layer]], space for the application-specific networking methods used in software applications. For example, a web browser program uses the [[client-server]] application model and a specific protocol of interaction between servers and clients, while many file-sharing systems use a [[peer-to-peer]] paradigm. Below this top layer, the [[transport layer]] connects applications on different hosts with a logical channel through the network with appropriate data exchange methods.

Underlying these layers are the networking technologies that interconnect networks at their borders and exchange traffic across them. The [[Internet layer]] enables applications running on computers ("hosts") to identify each other via [[port number]]s and [[IP address|Internet Protocol (IP) addresses]], and route their traffic to each other via any intermediate (transit) networks. Last, at the bottom of the architecture is the [[link layer]], which provides logical connectivity between hosts on the same network link, such as a [[local area network]] (LAN) or a [[Dial-up Internet access|dial-up connection]]. The model, also known as [[TCP/IP]], is designed to be independent of the underlying hardware used for the physical connections, which the model does not concern itself with in any detail. Other models have been developed, such as the [[OSI model]], that attempt to be comprehensive in every aspect of communications. While many similarities exist between the models, they are not compatible in the details of description or implementation. Yet, TCP/IP protocols are usually included in the discussion of OSI networking.

[[File:UDP encapsulation.svg|thumb|As user data is processed through the protocol stack, each abstraction layer adds encapsulation information at the sending host. Data is transmitted ''over the wire'' at the link level between hosts and routers. Encapsulation is removed by the receiving host. Intermediate relays update link encapsulation at each hop, and inspect the IP layer for routing purposes.]]

The most prominent component of the Internet model is the Internet Protocol (IP), which provides addressing systems, including [[IP address]]es, for computers on the network. IP enables internetworking and, in essence, establishes the Internet itself. [[IPv4|Internet Protocol Version 4]] (IPv4) is the initial version used on the first generation of the Internet and is still in dominant use. It was designed to address up to ≈4.3 billion (10<sup>9</sup>) hosts. However, the explosive growth of the Internet has led to [[IPv4 address exhaustion]], which entered its final stage in 2011,<ref>{{cite web|last=Huston |first=Geoff |title=IPv4 Address Report, daily generated |url=http://www.potaroo.net/tools/ipv4/index.html |accessdate=20 May 2009 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090401001902/http://www.potaroo.net/tools/ipv4/index.html |archivedate=1 April 2009 |df= }}</ref> when the global address allocation pool was exhausted.  A new protocol version, IPv6, was developed in the mid-1990s, which provides vastly larger addressing capabilities and more efficient routing of Internet traffic. [[IPv6]] is currently in growing [[IPv6 deployment|deployment]] around the world, since Internet address registries ([[Regional Internet registry|RIRs]]) began to urge all resource managers to plan rapid adoption and conversion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.arin.net/knowledge/about_resources/ceo_letter.pdf |title=Notice of Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) Address Depletion |accessdate=7 August 2009 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107095025/https://www.arin.net/knowledge/about_resources/ceo_letter.pdf |archivedate=7 January 2010 |df= }}</ref>

IPv6 is not directly interoperable by design with IPv4. In essence, it establishes a parallel version of the Internet not directly accessible with IPv4 software. Thus, translation facilities must exist for internetworking or nodes must have duplicate networking software for both networks. Essentially all modern computer operating systems support both versions of the Internet Protocol. Network infrastructure, however, has been lagging in this development. Aside from the complex array of physical connections that make up its infrastructure, the Internet is facilitated by bi- or multi-lateral commercial contracts, e.g., [[peering agreement]]s, and by technical specifications or protocols that describe the exchange of data over the network. Indeed, the Internet is defined by its interconnections and routing policies.

== Services ==
Many people use, erroneously, the terms ''Internet'' and ''World Wide Web'', or just the ''Web'', interchangeably, but the two terms are not synonymous. The [[World Wide Web]] is a primary application program that billions of people use on the Internet, and it has changed their lives immeasurably.<ref>{{cite web|title=''World Wide Web Timeline'' |url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/world-wide-web-timeline/ |date=11 March 2014 |publisher=Pews Research Center |accessdate=1 August 2015 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729162322/http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/03/11/world-wide-web-timeline/ |archivedate=29 July 2015 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=''Website Analytics Tool'' |url=http://www.internetlivestats.com/ |accessdate=1 August 2015 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702051222/http://www.internetlivestats.com/ |archivedate=2 July 2015 |df= }}</ref> However, the Internet provides many [[network service]]s, most prominently include [[mobile app]]s such as [[social media]] apps, the [[World Wide Web]], [[electronic mail]], [[multiplayer online game]]s, [[Internet telephony]], and [[file sharing]] and [[streaming media]] services.

=== World Wide Web ===
{{Main|World Wide Web}}
[[File:First Web Server.jpg|thumb|This [[NeXT Computer]] was used by [[Tim Berners-Lee]] at [[CERN]] and became the world's first [[Web server]].]]

World Wide Web browser software, such as [[Microsoft]]'s [[Internet Explorer]]/[[Microsoft Edge|Edge]], [[Mozilla Firefox]], [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s [[Safari (web browser)|Safari]], and [[Google Chrome]], lets users navigate from one web page to another via hyperlinks embedded in the documents. These documents may also contain any combination of [[computer data]], including graphics, sounds, [[Plain text|text]], [[web video|video]], [[multimedia]] and interactive content that runs while the user is interacting with the page. [[Client-side scripting|Client-side software]] can include animations, [[web game|games]], [[office applications]] and scientific demonstrations. Through [[keyword (Internet search)|keyword]]-driven [[Internet research]] using [[Web search engine|search engines]] like [[Yahoo! Search|Yahoo!]], [[Bing (search engine)|Bing]] and [[Google Search|Google]], users worldwide have easy, instant access to a vast and diverse amount of online information. Compared to printed media, books, encyclopedias and traditional libraries, the World Wide Web has enabled the decentralization of information on a large scale.

The Web is therefore a global set of [[documents]], [[Computer graphics|images]] and other resources, logically interrelated by [[hyperlink]]s and referenced with [[Uniform Resource Identifier]]s (URIs). URIs symbolically identify services, [[web servers|servers]], and other databases, and the documents and resources that they can provide. [[Hypertext Transfer Protocol]] (HTTP) is the main access protocol of the World Wide Web. [[Web service]]s also use HTTP to allow software systems to communicate in order to share and exchange business logic and data.

The Web has enabled individuals and organizations to [[publish]] ideas and information to a potentially large [[audience]] online at greatly reduced expense and time delay. Publishing a web page, a blog, or building a website involves little initial [[cost]] and many cost-free services are available. However, publishing and maintaining large, professional web sites with attractive, diverse and up-to-date information is still a difficult and expensive proposition. Many individuals and some companies and groups use ''web logs'' or blogs, which are largely used as easily updatable online diaries. Some commercial organizations encourage [[employees|staff]] to communicate advice in their areas of specialization in the hope that visitors will be impressed by the expert knowledge and free information, and be attracted to the corporation as a result.

[[Online advertising|Advertising]] on popular web pages can be lucrative, and [[e-commerce]], which is the sale of products and services directly via the Web, continues to grow. Online advertising is a form of [[marketing]] and advertising which uses the Internet to deliver [[promotion (marketing)|promotional]] marketing messages to consumers.  It includes email marketing, [[search engine marketing]] (SEM), social media marketing, many types of [[display advertising]] (including [[web banner]] advertising), and [[mobile advertising]]. In 2011, Internet advertising revenues in the United States surpassed those of [[cable television]] and nearly exceeded those of [[broadcast television]].<ref name="IAB2012">{{cite web |url= http://www.iab.net/media/file/IAB_Internet_Advertising_Revenue_Report_FY_2012_rev.pdf |title= IAB internet advertising revenue report: 2012 full year results |date = April 2013 |publisher = PricewaterhouseCoopers, Internet Advertising Bureau |accessdate = 12 June 2013 }}</ref>{{rp|19}} Many common online advertising practices are controversial and increasingly subject to regulation.

When the Web developed in the 1990s, a typical web page was stored in completed form on a web server, formatted in [[HTML]], complete for transmission to a web browser in response to a request. Over time, the process of creating and serving web pages has become dynamic, creating a flexible design, layout, and content. Websites are often created using [[content management]] software with, initially, very little content. Contributors to these systems, who may be paid staff, members of an organization or the public, fill underlying databases with content using editing pages designed for that purpose while casual visitors view and read this content in HTML form. There may or may not be editorial, approval and security systems built into the process of taking newly entered content and making it available to the target visitors.

=== Communication ===
[[Email]] is an important communications service available on the Internet. The concept of sending electronic text messages between parties in a way analogous to mailing letters or memos predates the creation of the Internet.<ref>Ron Brown, Fax invades the mail market, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Ry64sjvOmLkC&pg=PA218 New Scientist] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509050238/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ry64sjvOmLkC&pg=PA218 |date=2016-05-09 }}, Vol. 56, No. 817 (Oct., 26, 1972), pp. 218–21.</ref><ref>Herbert P. Luckett, What's News: Electronic-mail delivery gets started, [https://books.google.com/books?id=cKSqa8u3EIoC&pg=PA85 Popular Science] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430021738/https://books.google.com/books?id=cKSqa8u3EIoC&pg=PA85 |date=2016-04-30 }}, Vol. 202, No. 3 (March 1973); page 85</ref> Pictures, documents, and other files are sent as [[email attachment]]s. Emails can be [[Carbon copy|cc-ed]] to multiple [[email address]]es.

[[Internet telephony]] is another common communications service made possible by the creation of the Internet. [[VoIP]] stands for Voice-over-[[Internet Protocol]], referring to the protocol that underlies all Internet communication. The idea began in the early 1990s with [[walkie-talkie]]-like voice applications for personal computers. In recent years many VoIP systems have become as easy to use and as convenient as a normal telephone. The benefit is that, as the Internet carries the voice traffic, VoIP can be free or cost much less than a traditional telephone call, especially over long distances and especially for those with always-on Internet connections such as [[Cable modem|cable]] or [[ADSL]] and [[mobile data]].<ref name=EBSCOhost>{{cite journal|last=Booth|first=C|title=Chapter 2: IP Phones, Software VoIP, and Integrated and Mobile VoIP|journal=Library Technology Reports|year=2010|volume=46|issue=5|pages=11–19}}</ref> VoIP is maturing into a competitive alternative to traditional telephone service. Interoperability between different providers has improved and the ability to call or receive a call from a traditional telephone is available. Simple, inexpensive VoIP network adapters are available that eliminate the need for a personal computer.

Voice quality can still vary from call to call, but is often equal to and can even exceed that of traditional calls. Remaining problems for VoIP include [[emergency telephone number]] dialing and reliability. Currently, a few VoIP providers provide an emergency service, but it is not universally available. Older traditional phones with no "extra features" may be line-powered only and operate during a power failure; VoIP can never do so without a [[uninterruptible power supply|backup power source]] for the phone equipment and the Internet access devices. VoIP has also become increasingly popular for gaming applications, as a form of communication between players. Popular VoIP clients for gaming include [[Ventrilo]] and [[Teamspeak]]. Modern video game consoles also offer VoIP chat features.

=== Data transfer ===
[[File sharing]] is an example of transferring large amounts of data across the Internet. A [[computer file]] can be emailed to customers, colleagues and friends as an attachment. It can be uploaded to a website or [[File Transfer Protocol]] (FTP) server for easy download by others. It can be put into a "shared location" or onto a [[file server]] for instant use by colleagues. The load of bulk downloads to many users can be eased by the use of "[[Web mirror|mirror]]" servers or [[peer-to-peer]] networks. In any of these cases, access to the file may be controlled by user [[authentication]], the transit of the file over the Internet may be obscured by [[encryption]], and money may change hands for access to the file. The price can be paid by the remote charging of funds from, for example, a credit card whose details are also passed – usually fully encrypted – across the Internet. The origin and authenticity of the file received may be checked by [[digital signature]]s or by [[MD5]] or other message digests. These simple features of the Internet, over a worldwide basis, are changing the production, sale, and distribution of anything that can be reduced to a computer file for transmission. This includes all manner of print publications, software products, news, music, film, video, photography, graphics and the other arts. This in turn has caused seismic shifts in each of the existing industries that previously controlled the production and distribution of these products.

[[Streaming media]] is the real-time delivery of digital media for the immediate consumption or enjoyment by end users. Many radio and television broadcasters provide Internet feeds of their live audio and video productions. They may also allow time-shift viewing or listening such as Preview, Classic Clips and Listen Again features. These providers have been joined by a range of pure Internet "broadcasters" who never had on-air licenses. This means that an Internet-connected device, such as a computer or something more specific, can be used to access on-line media in much the same way as was previously possible only with a television or radio receiver. The range of available types of content is much wider, from specialized technical [[webcast]]s to on-demand popular multimedia services. [[Podcast]]ing is a variation on this theme, where – usually audio – material is downloaded and played back on a computer or shifted to a [[portable media player]] to be listened to on the move. These techniques using simple equipment allow anybody, with little censorship or licensing control, to broadcast audio-visual material worldwide.

Digital media streaming increases the demand for network bandwidth.  For example, standard image quality needs 1 Mbit/s link speed for SD 480p, HD 720p quality requires 2.5 Mbit/s, and the top-of-the-line HDX quality needs 4.5 Mbit/s for 1080p.<ref>{{cite web|last=Morrison |first=Geoff |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40241749/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets |title=What to know before buying a 'connected' TV – Technology & science – Tech and gadgets – Tech Holiday Guide |publisher=MSNBC |date=18 November 2010 |accessdate=8 August 2011 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628201811/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40241749/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets |archivedate=28 June 2011 |df= }}</ref>

[[Webcam]]s are a low-cost extension of this phenomenon. While some webcams can give full-frame-rate video, the picture either is usually small or updates slowly. Internet users can watch animals around an African waterhole, ships in the [[Panama Canal]], traffic at a local roundabout or monitor their own premises, live and in real time. Video [[chat rooms]] and [[video conferencing]] are also popular with many uses being found for personal webcams, with and without two-way sound. YouTube was founded on 15 February 2005 and is now the leading website for free streaming video with a vast number of users. It uses a HTML5 based web player by default to stream and show video files.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://youtube-eng.googleblog.com/2015/01/youtube-now-defaults-to-html5_27.html|title=YouTube now defaults to HTML5 <video>|work=YouTube Engineering and Developers Blog|access-date=2018-09-10|language=en-US}}</ref> Registered users may upload an unlimited amount of video and build their own personal profile. [[YouTube]] claims that its users watch hundreds of millions, and upload hundreds of thousands of videos daily.

== Social impact ==
The Internet has enabled new forms of social interaction, activities, and social associations. This phenomenon has given rise to the scholarly study of the [[sociology of the Internet]].

=== Users ===
{{See also|Global Internet usage|English in computing}}
[[File:Internet users per 100 inhabitants ITU.svg|thumb|<center>'''Internet users per 100 inhabitants'''</center><small>Source: [[International Telecommunications Union]].</small><ref>[http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2014/ITU_Key_2005-2014_ICT_data.xls "Individuals using the Internet 2005 to 2014"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528031339/http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2014/ITU_Key_2005-2014_ICT_data.xls |date=28 May 2015 }}, Key ICT indicators for developed and developing countries and the world (totals and penetration rates), International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 25 May 2015.</ref><ref>[http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/ict/ "Internet users per 100 inhabitants 1997 to 2007"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517033104/http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/ict/ |date=17 May 2015 }}, ICT Data and Statistics (IDS), International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Retrieved 25 May 2015.</ref>]]
[[File:InternetUsersByLanguagePieChart.svg|thumb|<center>'''[[Languages used on the Internet|Internet users by language]]'''<ref name=NIUBL-IWS>[http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm "Number of Internet Users by Language"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426122721/http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm |date=26 April 2012 }}, ''Internet World Stats'', Miniwatts Marketing Group, 31 May 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2012</ref></center>]]
[[File:WebsitesByLanguagePieChart.svg|thumb|<center>'''[[Languages used on the Internet|Website content languages]]'''<ref name=UofCLBWApril2013>{{cite web|title=Usage of content languages for websites|url=http://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_language/all|work=W3Techs.com|accessdate=26 April 2013}}</ref> </center>]]

Internet usage has seen tremendous growth. From 2000 to 2009, the number of Internet users globally rose from 394 million to 1.858 billion.<ref>[https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/ Internet users graphs], Market Information and Statistics, International Telecommunications Union</ref> By 2010, 22 percent of the world's population had access to computers with 1 billion [[Google]] searches every day, 300 million Internet users reading blogs, and 2 billion videos viewed daily on [[YouTube]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/71940/google-earth-demonstrates-how-technology-benefits-ris-civil-society-govt |title=Google Earth demonstrates how technology benefits RI's civil society, govt |publisher=Antara News |date=2011-05-26 |accessdate=2012-11-19 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121029074528/http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/71940/google-earth-demonstrates-how-technology-benefits-ris-civil-society-govt |archivedate=29 October 2012 |df= }}</ref> In 2014 the world's Internet users surpassed 3 billion or 43.6 percent of world population, but two-thirds of the users came from richest countries, with 78.0 percent of Europe countries population using the Internet, followed by 57.4 percent of the Americas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2014/11/25/3-billion-internet-users/ |title=There are now 3 billion internet users, mostly in rich countries |author=Steve Dent |accessdate=25 November 2014 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128020032/http://www.engadget.com/2014/11/25/3-billion-internet-users/ |archivedate=28 November 2014 |df= }}</ref>

The prevalent language for communication on the Internet has been English. This may be a result of the origin of the Internet, as well as the language's role as a [[lingua franca]]. Early computer systems were limited to the characters in the [[ASCII|American Standard Code for Information Interchange]] (ASCII), a subset of the [[Latin alphabet]].

After English (27%), the most requested languages on the [[World Wide Web]] are Chinese (25%), Spanish (8%), Japanese (5%), Portuguese and German (4% each), Arabic, French and Russian (3% each), and Korean (2%).<ref name="NIUBL-IWS" /><!-- Note that the use of these copyright statistics is dependent on "giving due credit and establishing an active link back to www.internetworldstats.com", so please do not remove the citation above --> By region, 42% of the world's [[Internet users]] are based in Asia, 24% in Europe, 14% in North America, 10% in Latin America and the [[Caribbean]] taken together, 6% in Africa, 3% in the Middle East and 1% in Australia/Oceania.<ref name=inetstats>[http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm World Internet Usage Statistics News and Population Stats] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170319013935/http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm |date=19 March 2017 }} updated for 30 June 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2011.</ref><!-- Note that the use of these copyright statistics is dependent on "giving due credit and establishing an active link back to www.internetworldstats.com", so please do not remove the citation above -->  The Internet's technologies have developed enough in recent years, especially in the use of [[Unicode]], that good facilities are available for development and communication in the world's widely used languages. However, some glitches such as ''[[mojibake]]'' (incorrect display of some languages' characters) still remain.

In an American study in 2005, the percentage of men using the Internet was very slightly ahead of the percentage of women, although this difference reversed in those under 30. Men logged on more often, spent more time online, and were more likely to be broadband users, whereas women tended to make more use of opportunities to communicate (such as email). Men were more likely to use the Internet to pay bills, participate in auctions, and for recreation such as downloading music and videos. Men and women were equally likely to use the Internet for shopping and banking.<ref>How men and women use the Internet Pew Research Center 28 December 2005</ref>
More recent studies indicate that in 2008, women significantly outnumbered men on most social networking sites, such as Facebook and Myspace, although the ratios varied with age.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://business.rapleaf.com/company_press_2008_07_29.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320211742/http://business.rapleaf.com/company_press_2008_07_29.html|archivedate=20 March 2009 |title=Rapleaf Study on Social Network Users}}</ref> In addition, women watched more streaming content, whereas men downloaded more.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/178175272.html |title=Women Ahead Of Men In Online Tv, Dvr, Games, And Social Media. |publisher=Entrepreneur.com |date=1 May 2008 |accessdate=8 August 2011 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916094836/http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/178175272.html |archivedate=16 September 2008 |df= }}</ref> In terms of blogs, men were more likely to blog in the first place; among those who blog, men were more likely to have a professional blog, whereas women were more likely to have a personal blog.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/ |title=Technorati's State of the Blogosphere |publisher=Technorati |accessdate=8 August 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002101707/http://technorati.com/blogging/state-of-the-blogosphere/ |archivedate=2 October 2009 |df= }}</ref>

Forecasts predict that 44% of the world's population will be users of the Internet by 2020.<ref>[http://blog.euromonitor.com/2013/08/special-report-the-telecom-consumer-in-2020.html "Special Report: The Telecom Consumer in 2020"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729000029/http://blog.euromonitor.com/2013/08/special-report-the-telecom-consumer-in-2020.html |date=29 July 2015 }}, Pavel Marceux, Euromonitor International, 27 August 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2015.</ref> Splitting by country, in 2012 Iceland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark had the highest [[List of countries by number of Internet users|Internet penetration by the number of users]], with 93% or more of the population with access.<ref name=ITU-IndividualsUsingTheInternet>[http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2013/Individuals_Internet_2000-2012.xls "Percentage of Individuals using the Internet 2000–2012"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209141641/http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/statistics/2013/Individuals_Internet_2000-2012.xls |date=9 February 2014 }}, International Telecommunications Union (Geneva), June 2013, retrieved 22 June 2013</ref>

Several neologisms exist that refer to Internet users: [[Netizen]] (as in "citizen of the net")<ref>{{cite book|last1=Seese|first1=Michael|isbn=978-1-60005-132-6|page=130|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3noNR3IfSpgC&pg=PA130&lpg=PA130&dq=citizen+of+the+net|title=Scrappy Information Security|accessdate=5 June 2015|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905151414/https://books.google.com/books?id=3noNR3IfSpgC&pg=PA130&lpg=PA130&dq=citizen+of+the+net|archivedate=5 September 2017|df=dmy-all|year=2009}}</ref> refers to those [[online participation|actively involved]] in improving [[virtual community|online communities]], the Internet in general or surrounding political affairs and rights such as [[Freedom of speech#The Internet and Information Society|free speech]],<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/netizen ''netizen''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421223939/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/netizen |date=21 April 2012 }}, Dictionary.com</ref><ref name=Hauben>[http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/ch106.x01 ''The Net and Netizens by Michael Hauben''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604214312/http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/ch106.x01 |date=4 June 2011 }}, Columbia University.</ref> [[Internaut]] refers to operators or technically highly capable users of the Internet,<ref>[http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml A Brief History of the Internet] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604153304/http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml |date=4 June 2007 }} from the Internet Society</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Oxford Dictionaries – internaut |url=https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/internaut |website=oxforddictionaries.com |accessdate=6 June 2015 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613002443/https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/internaut |archivedate=13 June 2015 |df= }}</ref> [[digital citizen]] refers to a person using the Internet in order to engage in society, politics, and government participation.<ref>Mossberger, Karen. "Digital Citizenship – The Internet, Society and Participation" By Karen Mossberger, Caroline J. Tolbert, and Ramona S. McNeal. 23 November 2011. {{ISBN|978-0-8194-5606-9}}</ref>

=== Usage ===
[[File:InternetPenetrationWorldMap.svg|thumb|360px|<center>'''[[List of countries by number of Internet users|Internet users in 2015 as a percentage of a country's population]]'''</center><small>Source: [[International Telecommunications Union]].<ref name=ITU-IndividualsUsingTheInternet/></small>]]
{{Main|Global digital divide|Digital divide}}

[[File:FixedBroadbandInternetPenetrationWorldMap.svg|thumb |360px |<center>'''[[List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions|Fixed broadband Internet subscriptions in 2012]]<br />as a percentage of a country's population'''</center>Source: [[International Telecommunications Union]].<ref name="FixedBroadbandITUDynamic2012">[http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx "Fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012"], Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, [[International Telecommunication Union]]. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.</ref>]]

[[File:MobileBroadbandInternetPenetrationWorldMap.svg|thumb |360px |<center>'''[[List of countries by number of broadband Internet subscriptions|Mobile broadband Internet subscriptions in 2012]]<br />as a percentage of a country's population'''</center>Source: [[International Telecommunications Union]].<ref name="MobleBroadbandITUDynamic2012">[http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ICTEYE/Reporting/DynamicReportWizard.aspx "Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants 2012"], Dynamic Report, ITU ITC EYE, [[International Telecommunication Union]]. Retrieved on 29 June 2013.</ref>]]
The Internet allows greater flexibility in working hours and location, especially with the spread of unmetered high-speed connections. The Internet can be accessed almost anywhere by numerous means, including through [[mobile Internet device]]s. Mobile phones, [[datacard]]s, [[handheld game console]]s and [[cellular router]]s allow users to connect to the Internet [[wireless]]ly. Within the limitations imposed by small screens and other limited facilities of such pocket-sized devices, the services of the Internet, including email and the web, may be available. Service providers may restrict the services offered and mobile data charges may be significantly higher than other access methods.

Educational material at all levels from pre-school to post-doctoral is available from websites. Examples range from [[CBeebies]], through school and high-school revision guides and [[Virtual university|virtual universities]], to access to top-end scholarly literature through the likes of [[Google Scholar]]. For [[distance education]], help with [[homework]] and other assignments, self-guided learning, whiling away spare time, or just looking up more detail on an interesting fact, it has never been easier for people to access educational information at any level from anywhere. The Internet in general and the [[World Wide Web]] in particular are important enablers of both [[Education|formal]] and [[informal education]]. Further, the Internet allows universities, in particular, researchers from the social and behavioral sciences, to conduct research remotely via virtual laboratories, with profound changes in reach and generalizability of findings as well as in communication between scientists and in the publication of results.<ref>Reips, U.-D. (2008). How Internet-mediated research changes science. In A. Barak (Ed.), [http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/psychology/social-psychology/psychological-aspects-cyberspace-theory-research-applications Psychological aspects of cyberspace: Theory, research, applications] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809235408/http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/psychology/social-psychology/psychological-aspects-cyberspace-theory-research-applications |date=9 August 2014 }} (pp. 268–94). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-521-69464-3}}. Retrieved 22 July 2014.</ref>

The low cost and nearly instantaneous sharing of ideas, knowledge, and skills have made [[collaboration|collaborative]] work dramatically easier, with the help of [[collaborative software]]. Not only can a group cheaply communicate and share ideas but the wide reach of the Internet allows such groups more easily to form. An example of this is the [[free software movement]], which has produced, among other things, [[Linux]], [[Mozilla Firefox]], and [[OpenOffice.org]] (later forked into [[LibreOffice]]). Internet chat, whether using an [[IRC]] chat room, an [[instant messaging]] system, or a [[social networking]] website, allows colleagues to stay in touch in a very convenient way while working at their computers during the day.  Messages can be exchanged even more quickly and conveniently than via email. These systems may allow files to be exchanged, drawings and images to be shared, or voice and video contact between team members.

[[Content management]] systems allow collaborating teams to work on shared sets of documents simultaneously without accidentally destroying each other's work. Business and project teams can share calendars as well as documents and other information. Such collaboration occurs in a wide variety of areas including scientific research, software development, conference planning, political activism and creative writing. Social and political collaboration is also becoming more widespread as both Internet access and [[computer literacy]] spread.

The Internet allows computer users to remotely access other computers and information stores easily from any access point. Access may be with [[computer security]], i.e. authentication and encryption technologies, depending on the requirements. This is encouraging new ways of working from home, collaboration and information sharing in many industries. An accountant sitting at home can [[audit]] the books of a company based in another country, on a [[server (computing)|server]] situated in a third country that is remotely maintained by IT specialists in a fourth. These accounts could have been created by home-working bookkeepers, in other remote locations, based on information emailed to them from offices all over the world. Some of these things were possible before the widespread use of the Internet, but the cost of private [[leased line]]s would have made many of them infeasible in practice. An office worker away from their desk, perhaps on the other side of the world on a business trip or a holiday, can access their emails, access their data using [[cloud computing]], or open a [[Remote Desktop Protocol|remote desktop]] session into their office PC using a secure [[virtual private network]] (VPN) connection on the Internet. This can give the worker complete access to all of their normal files and data, including email and other applications, while away from the office. It has been referred to among [[system administrator]]s as the Virtual Private Nightmare,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Virtual Private Nightmare: VPN |url=http://librenix.com/?inode=5013 |publisher=Librenix |accessdate=21 July 2010 |date=4 August 2004 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515152637/http://librenix.com/?inode=5013 |archivedate=15 May 2011 |df= }}</ref> because it extends the secure perimeter of a corporate network into remote locations and its employees' homes.

=== Social networking and entertainment ===
{{See also|Social networking service#Social impact}}
Many people use the World Wide Web to access news, weather and sports reports, to plan and book vacations and to pursue their personal interests. People use [[online chat|chat]], messaging and email to make and stay in touch with friends worldwide, sometimes in the same way as some previously had [[pen pal]]s. [[Social network service|Social networking]] websites such as [[Facebook]], [[Twitter]], and [[Myspace]] have created new ways to socialize and interact. Users of these sites are able to add a wide variety of information to pages, to pursue common interests, and to connect with others. It is also possible to find existing acquaintances, to allow communication among existing groups of people. Sites like [[LinkedIn]] foster commercial and business connections. YouTube and [[Flickr]] specialize in users' videos and photographs. While social networking sites were initially for individuals only, today they are widely used by businesses and other organizations to promote their brands, to market to their customers and to encourage posts to "[[Viral marketing|go viral]]". "Black hat" social media techniques are also employed by some organizations, such as [[Spamming|spam]] accounts and [[astroturfing]].

A risk for both individuals and organizations writing posts (especially public posts) on social networking websites, is that especially foolish or controversial posts occasionally lead to an unexpected and possibly large-scale backlash on social media from other Internet users. This is also a risk in relation to controversial ''offline'' behavior, if it is widely made known. The nature of this backlash can range widely from counter-arguments and public mockery, through insults and [[hate speech]], to, in extreme cases, rape and death [[Computer crime#Threats|threats]]. The [[online disinhibition effect]] describes the tendency of many individuals to behave more stridently or offensively online than they would in person. A significant number of [[feminist]] women have been the target of various forms of [[harassment]] in response to posts they have made on social media, and Twitter in particular has been criticised in the past for not doing enough to aid victims of online abuse.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23477130 |title=Twitter 'report abuse' button calls after rape threats |last=Moore |first=Keith |date=27 July 2013 |work=[[BBC News]] |accessdate=7 December 2014 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904014545/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-23477130 |archivedate=4 September 2014 |df= }}</ref>

For organizations, such a backlash can cause overall [[public relations|brand damage]], especially if reported by the media. However, this is not always the case, as any brand damage in the eyes of people with an opposing opinion to that presented by the organization could sometimes be outweighed by strengthening the brand in the eyes of others. Furthermore, if an organization or individual gives in to demands that others perceive as wrong-headed, that can then provoke a counter-backlash.

Some websites, such as [[Reddit]], have rules forbidding the posting of [[personal information]] of individuals (also known as [[doxxing]]), due to concerns about such postings leading to mobs of large numbers of Internet users directing harassment at the specific individuals thereby identified. In particular, the Reddit rule forbidding the posting of personal information is widely understood to imply that all identifying photos and names must be [[censored]] in Facebook [[screenshots]] posted to Reddit. However, the interpretation of this rule in relation to public Twitter posts is less clear, and in any case, like-minded people online have many other ways they can use to direct each other's attention to public social media posts they disagree with.

Children also face dangers online such as [[cyberbullying]] and [[Child grooming|approaches by sexual predators]], who sometimes pose as children themselves. Children may also encounter material which they may find upsetting, or material which their parents consider to be not age-appropriate. Due to naivety, they may also post personal information about themselves online, which could put them or their families at risk unless warned not to do so. Many parents choose to enable [[Content-control software|Internet filtering]], and/or supervise their children's online activities, in an attempt to protect their children from inappropriate material on the Internet. The most popular social networking websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, commonly forbid users under the age of 13. However, these policies are typically trivial to circumvent by registering an account with a false birth date, and a significant number of children aged under 13 join such sites anyway. Social networking sites for younger children, which claim to provide better levels of protection for children, also exist.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2010/10/11/social-networks-children/ |title=5 Fun and Safe Social Networks for Children |date=11 October 2010 |accessdate=7 December 2014 |website=[[Mashable]] |publisher= |last=Kessler |first=Sarah |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220082237/http://mashable.com/2010/10/11/social-networks-children/ |archivedate=20 December 2014 |df= }}</ref>

The Internet has been a major outlet for leisure activity since its inception, with entertaining [[social experiment]]s such as [[MUD]]s and [[MOO]]s being conducted on university servers, and humor-related [[Usenet]] groups receiving much traffic.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}} Many [[Internet forums]] have sections devoted to games and funny videos.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}} The [[Internet pornography]] and [[online gambling]] industries have taken advantage of the World Wide Web, and often provide a significant source of advertising revenue for other websites.<ref>[http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html "Internet Pornography Statistics"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111013032720/http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html |date=13 October 2011 }}, Jerry Ropelato, Top Ten Reviews, 2006</ref> Although many governments have attempted to restrict both industries' use of the Internet, in general, this has failed to stop their widespread popularity.<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Business/SmallBiz/story?id=4151592 "Do It Yourself! Amateur Porn Stars Make Bank"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230075056/http://abcnews.go.com/Business/SmallBiz/story?id=4151592 |date=30 December 2011 }}, Russell Goldman, ABC News, 22 January 2008</ref>

Another area of leisure activity on the Internet is [[multiplayer gaming]].<ref>[http://internetgames.about.com/od/gamingnews/a/trendsdecade.htm "Top Online Game Trends of the Decade"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929074221/http://internetgames.about.com/od/gamingnews/a/trendsdecade.htm |date=29 September 2011 }}, Dave Spohn, About.com, 15 December 2009</ref> This form of recreation creates communities, where people of all ages and origins enjoy the fast-paced world of multiplayer games. These range from [[MMORPG]] to [[first-person shooter]]s, from [[role-playing video game]]s to [[online gambling]]. While online gaming has been around since the 1970s, modern modes of online gaming began with subscription services such as [[GameSpy Arcade|GameSpy]] and [[MPlayer.com|MPlayer]].<ref>[http://internetgames.about.com/od/gamingnews/a/timeline.htm "Internet Game Timeline: 1963 – 2004"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060425091409/http://internetgames.about.com/od/gamingnews/a/timeline.htm |date=25 April 2006 }}, Dave Spohn, About.com, 2 June 2011</ref> Non-subscribers were limited to certain types of game play or certain games. Many people use the Internet to access and download music, movies and other works for their enjoyment and relaxation. Free and fee-based services exist for all of these activities, using centralized servers and distributed peer-to-peer technologies. Some of these sources exercise more care with respect to the original artists' copyrights than others.

Internet usage has been correlated to users' loneliness.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Carole Hughes |author2=Boston College |url=https://www2.bc.edu/~hughesc/abstract.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107031736/https://www2.bc.edu/~hughesc/abstract.html |dead-url=yes |archive-date=7 November 2015 |title=The Relationship Between Internet Use and Loneliness Among College Students |publisher=Boston College |accessdate=11 August 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>  Lonely people tend to use the Internet as an outlet for their feelings and to share their stories with others, such as in the "[[I am lonely will anyone speak to me]]" thread.

[[Cybersectarianism]] is a new organizational form which involves: "highly dispersed small groups of practitioners that may remain largely anonymous within the larger social context and operate in relative secrecy, while still linked remotely to a larger network of believers who share a set of practices and texts, and often a common devotion to a particular leader.  Overseas supporters provide funding and support; domestic practitioners distribute tracts, participate in acts of resistance, and share information on the internal situation with outsiders.  Collectively, members and practitioners of such sects construct viable virtual communities of faith, exchanging personal testimonies and engaging in the collective study via email, on-line chat rooms, and web-based message boards."<ref>Patricia M. Thornton, "The New Cybersects: Resistance and Repression in the Reform era. " In Elizabeth Perry and Mark Selden, eds., ''Chinese Society: Change, Conflict and Resistance'' (second edition) (London and New York: Routledge, 2003), pp. 149–50.</ref> In particular, the British government has raised concerns about the prospect of young British Muslims being indoctrinated into Islamic extremism by material on the Internet, being persuaded to join [[terrorist]] groups such as the so-called "[[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Islamic State]]", and then potentially committing acts of terrorism on returning to Britain after fighting in Syria or Iraq.

[[Cyberslacking]] can become a drain on corporate resources; the average UK employee spent 57 minutes a day surfing the Web while at work, according to a 2003 study by Peninsula Business Services.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/net-abuse-hits-small-city-firms-1-892163 |title=Net abuse hits small city firms |work=The Scotsman |date=11 September 2003 |accessdate=7 August 2009 |location=Edinburgh |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020041820/http://www.scotsman.com/news/net-abuse-hits-small-city-firms-1-892163 |archivedate=20 October 2012 |df= }}</ref> [[Internet addiction disorder]] is excessive computer use that interferes with daily life. [[Nicholas G. Carr]] believes that Internet use has other [[Psychological effects of Internet use|effects on individuals]], for instance improving skills of scan-reading and [[Interference theory|interfering]] with the deep thinking that leads to true creativity.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.theshallowsbook.com/nicholascarr/Nicholas_Carrs_The_Shallows.html |title=The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains|first= Nicholas G.|last=Carr|authorlink=Nicholas G. Carr|publisher= W.W. Norton|date= 7 June 2010|page= 276 | isbn =978-0393072228}}</ref>

=== Electronic business ===
[[Electronic business]] (''e-business'') encompasses business processes spanning the entire [[value chain]]: purchasing, [[supply chain management]], [[marketing]], [[sales]], [[customer]] service, and business relationship. [[E-commerce]] seeks to add revenue streams using the Internet to build and enhance relationships with clients and partners. According to [[International Data Corporation]], the size of worldwide e-commerce, when global business-to-business and -consumer transactions are combined, equate to $16 trillion for 2013. A report by Oxford Economics adds those two together to estimate the total size of the [[digital economy]] at $20.4 trillion, equivalent to roughly 13.8% of global sales.<ref>[http://www.myclouddoor.com/web/documents/The%20New%20Digital%20Economy.pdf "The New Digital Economy: How it will transform business"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706101452/http://www.myclouddoor.com/web/documents/The%20New%20Digital%20Economy.pdf |date=6 July 2014 }}, Oxford Economics, 2 July 2011</ref>

While much has been written of the economic advantages of [[electronic commerce|Internet-enabled commerce]], there is also evidence that some aspects of the Internet such as maps and location-aware services may serve to reinforce [[economic inequality]] and the [[digital divide]].<ref>{{cite web|title=How the Internet Reinforces Inequality in the Real World |work=The Atlantic |author=Badger, Emily |date=6 February 2013 |accessdate=2013-02-13 |url=http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2013/02/how-internet-reinforces-inequality-real-world/4602/ |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211095334/http://www.theatlanticcities.com/technology/2013/02/how-internet-reinforces-inequality-real-world/4602/ |archivedate=11 February 2013 |df= }}</ref> Electronic commerce may be responsible for [[Consolidation (business)|consolidation]] and the decline of [[mom-and-pop]], [[brick and mortar]] businesses resulting in increases in [[income inequality]].<ref>[http://www.zdnet.com/e-commerce-will-make-the-shopping-mall-a-retail-wasteland-7000009960/ "E-commerce will make the shopping mall a retail wasteland"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130219011301/http://www.zdnet.com/e-commerce-will-make-the-shopping-mall-a-retail-wasteland-7000009960/ |date=19 February 2013 }} ''ZDNet'', 17 January 2013</ref><ref>[http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Press_Releases/2012/12/Free_Shipping_Day_Promotion_Spurs_Late-Season_Online_Spending_Surge "‘Free Shipping Day’ Promotion Spurs Late-Season Online Spending Surge, Improving Season-to-Date Growth Rate to 16 Percent vs. Year Ago"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128191411/http://www.comscore.com/Insights/Press_Releases/2012/12/Free_Shipping_Day_Promotion_Spurs_Late-Season_Online_Spending_Surge |date=28 January 2013 }} ''Comscore'', 23 December 2012</ref><ref>[http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/12/death-american-shopping-mall/4252/ "The Death of the American Shopping Mall"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215044619/http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2012/12/death-american-shopping-mall/4252/ |date=15 February 2013 }} ''The Atlantic — Cities'', 26 December 2012</ref>

Author [[Andrew Keen]], a long-time critic of the social transformations caused by the Internet, has recently focused on the economic effects of consolidation from Internet businesses. Keen cites a 2013 [[Institute for Local Self-Reliance]] report saying brick-and-mortar retailers employ 47 people for every $10 million in sales while Amazon employs only 14. Similarly, the 700-employee room rental start-up [[Airbnb]] was valued at $10 billion in 2014, about half as much as [[Hilton Worldwide]], which employs 152,000 people. At that time, [[transportation network company]] [[Uber]] employed 1,000 full-time employees and was valued at $18.2 billion, about the same valuation as [[Avis Rent a Car]] and [[The Hertz Corporation]] combined, which together employed almost 60,000 people.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Harris |first1=Michael |title=Book review: 'The Internet Is Not the Answer' by Andrew Keen |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/book-review-the-internet-is-not-the-answer-by-andrew-keen/2015/01/02/8627999a-7973-11e4-9a27-6fdbc612bff8_story.html |accessdate=25 January 2015 |work=Washington Post |date=2 January 2015 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120000258/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/book-review-the-internet-is-not-the-answer-by-andrew-keen/2015/01/02/8627999a-7973-11e4-9a27-6fdbc612bff8_story.html |archivedate=20 January 2015 |df= }}</ref>

=== Telecommuting ===
[[Telecommuting]] is the performance within a traditional worker and employer relationship when it is facilitated by tools such as [[groupware]], [[virtual private networks]], [[conference calling]], [[videoconferencing]], and [[voice over IP]] (VOIP) so that work may be performed from any location, most conveniently the worker's home. It can be efficient and useful for companies as it allows workers to communicate over long distances, saving significant amounts of travel time and cost. As [[broadband]] Internet connections become commonplace, more workers have adequate bandwidth at home to use these tools to link their home to their corporate [[intranet]] and internal communication networks.

=== Collaborative publishing ===
[[Wiki]]s have also been used in the academic community for sharing and dissemination of information across institutional and international boundaries.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1142215.1142259|title=New Interfaces For Musical Expression|isbn=978-2-84426-314-8|author1=MM Wanderley |author2=D Birnbaum |author3=J Malloch |year=2006|publisher=IRCAM – Centre Pompidou|page=180}}</ref> In those settings, they have been found useful for collaboration on [[grant writing]], [[strategic planning]], departmental documentation, and committee work.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Putting Wikis to Work in Libraries|url=http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a901841555&db=all|author=Nancy T. Lombardo|volume=27|issue=2|date=June 2008|journal=Medical Reference Services Quarterly|pages=129–145|doi=10.1080/02763860802114223|pmid=18844087|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://archive.is/20121129052327/http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a901841555&db=all|archivedate=29 November 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The [[United States Patent and Trademark Office]] uses a wiki to allow the public to collaborate on finding [[prior art]] relevant to examination of pending patent applications. [[Queens]], New York has used a wiki to allow citizens to collaborate on the design and planning of a local park.<ref name=Noveck>{{cite journal|title=Wikipedia and the Future of Legal Education |author=Noveck, Beth Simone |journal=Journal of Legal Education |volume=57 |issue=1 |url=http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/jled57&div=8&id=&page= |date=March 2007 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703005842/http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals%2Fjled57&div=8&id=&page= |archivedate=3 July 2014 |df= }}{{paywall}}</ref> The [[English Wikipedia]] has the largest user base among wikis on the World Wide Web<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://s23.org/wikistats/largest_html.php?sort=users_desc&th=8000&lines=500 |title=WikiStats by S23 |accessdate=7 April 2007 |publisher=S23Wiki |date=3 April 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825164715/http://s23.org/wikistats/largest_html.php?sort=users_desc&th=8000&lines=500 |archivedate=25 August 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and ranks in the top 10 among all Web sites in terms of traffic.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://www.alexa.com/topsites |title=Alexa Web Search – Top 500 |accessdate=2 March 2015 |publisher=[[Alexa Internet]] |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302173920/http://www.alexa.com/topsites |archivedate=2 March 2015 |df= }}</ref>

=== Politics and political revolutions ===
{{See also|Internet censorship|Culture of fear|Mass surveillance}}
[[File:Thai-coup-detat-2014-social-media-banner.jpg|thumb|right|Banner in [[Bangkok]] during the [[2014 Thai coup d'état]], informing the [[Thailand|Thai]] public that 'like' or 'share' activities on social media could result in imprisonment (observed June 30, 2014).]]
The Internet has achieved new relevance as a political tool. The presidential campaign of [[Howard Dean]] in 2004 in the United States was notable for its success in soliciting donation via the Internet. Many political groups use the Internet to achieve a new method of organizing for carrying out their mission, having given rise to [[Internet activism]], most notably practiced by rebels in the [[Arab Spring]].<ref name=cascading>{{cite web|url=http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/the-cascading-effects-of-the-arab-spring-28575/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227051329/http://www.miller-mccune.com/politics/the-cascading-effects-of-the-arab-spring-28575/ |dead-url=yes |archive-date=27 February 2011 |title=The Arab Uprising's Cascading Effects |publisher=Miller-mccune.com |date=23 February 2011 |accessdate=27 February 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>[http://www.etd.ceu.hu/2011/chokoshvili_davit.pdf The Role of the Internet in Democratic Transition: Case Study of the Arab Spring] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705155248/http://www.etd.ceu.hu/2011/chokoshvili_davit.pdf |date=5 July 2012 }}, Davit Chokoshvili, Master's Thesis, June 2011</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' suggested that [[social media]] websites, such as Facebook and Twitter, helped people organize the political revolutions in Egypt, by helping activists organize protests, communicate grievances, and disseminate information.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/world/middleeast/10youth.html |work=The New York Times |first=David D. |last=Kirkpatrick |title=Wired and Shrewd, Young Egyptians Guide Revolt |date=9 February 2011 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129225903/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/world/middleeast/10youth.html |archivedate=29 January 2017 |df= }}</ref>

Many have understood the Internet as an extension of the [[Jürgen Habermas|Habermasian]] notion of the ''[[public sphere]]'', observing how network communication technologies provide something like a global civic forum. However, incidents of politically motivated [[Internet censorship]] have now been recorded in many countries, including western democracies.{{Citation needed|date=August 2018}}

=== Philanthropy ===
The spread of low-cost Internet access in developing countries has opened up new possibilities for [[Social peer-to-peer processes|peer-to-peer]] charities, which allow individuals to contribute small amounts to charitable projects for other individuals.  Websites, such as [[DonorsChoose]] and [[GlobalGiving]], allow small-scale donors to direct funds to individual projects of their choice. A popular twist on Internet-based philanthropy is the use of [[peer-to-peer lending]] for charitable purposes. [[Kiva (organization)|Kiva]] pioneered this concept in 2005, offering the first web-based service to publish individual loan profiles for funding. Kiva raises funds for local intermediary [[microfinance]] organizations which post stories and updates on behalf of the borrowers. Lenders can contribute as little as $25 to loans of their choice, and receive their money back as borrowers repay. Kiva falls short of being a pure peer-to-peer charity, in that loans are disbursed before being funded by lenders and borrowers do not communicate with lenders themselves.<ref>[http://blogs.cgdev.org/open_book/2009/10/kiva-is-not-quite-what-it-seems.php ''Kiva Is Not Quite What It Seems''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100210045011/http://blogs.cgdev.org/open_book/2009/10/kiva-is-not-quite-what-it-seems.php |date=10 February 2010 }}, by David Roodman, Center for Global Development, 2 October 2009, as accessed  2 & 16 January 2010</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Strom |first=Stephanie |title=Confusion on Where Money Lent via Kiva Goes |work=The New York Times |page=6 |date=9 November 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/business/global/09kiva.html |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129225155/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/09/business/global/09kiva.html |archivedate=29 January 2017 |df= }}</ref>

However, the recent spread of low-cost Internet access in [[developing countries]] has made genuine international person-to-person  philanthropy increasingly feasible. In 2009, the US-based nonprofit [[Zidisha]] tapped into this trend to offer the first person-to-person microfinance platform to link lenders and borrowers across international borders without intermediaries. Members can fund loans for as little as a dollar, which the borrowers then use to develop business activities that improve their families' incomes while repaying loans to the members with interest. Borrowers access the Internet via public cybercafes, donated laptops in village schools, and even smart phones, then create their own profile pages through which they share photos and information about themselves and their businesses. As they repay their loans, borrowers continue to share updates and dialogue with lenders via their profile pages. This direct web-based connection allows members themselves to take on many of the communication and recording tasks traditionally performed by local organizations, bypassing geographic barriers and dramatically reducing the cost of microfinance services to the entrepreneurs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microfinancefocus.com/news/2010/02/07/zidisha-set-to-expand-in-peer-to-peer-microfinance-julia-kurnia/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228000309/http://www.microfinancefocus.com/news/2010/02/07/zidisha-set-to-expand-in-peer-to-peer-microfinance-julia-kurnia|title="Zidisha Set to "Expand" in Peer-to-Peer Microfinance"|publisher=Microfinance Focus|date=7 February 2010|archivedate=28 February 2010}}</ref>

== Security ==
{{Main|Internet security}}
Internet resources, hardware, and software components are the target of criminal or malicious attempts to gain unauthorized control to cause interruptions, commit fraud, engage in blackmail or access private information.

===Malware===
{{main|Malware}}
Malicious software used and spread on the Internet includes [[computer virus]]es which copy with the help of humans, [[computer worm]]s which copy themselves automatically, software for [[denial of service attack]]s, [[ransomware]], [[botnet]]s, and [[spyware]] that reports on the activity and typing of users. Usually, these activities constitute [[cybercrime]]. Defense theorists have also speculated about the possibilities of [[cyber warfare]] using similar methods on a large scale.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

=== Surveillance ===
{{Main|Computer and network surveillance}}
{{See also|Signals intelligence|Mass surveillance}}
The vast majority of computer surveillance involves the monitoring of [[data mining|data]] and [[traffic analysis|traffic]] on the Internet.<ref name="sciam-internet">{{cite news|url=http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=internet-eavesdropping|title=Internet Eavesdropping: A Brave New World of Wiretapping |last=Diffie|first=Whitfield|author2=Susan Landau|date=August 2008|work=Scientific American|accessdate=2009-03-13}}</ref> In the United States for example, under the [[Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act]], all phone calls and broadband Internet traffic (emails, web traffic, instant messaging, etc.) are required to be available for unimpeded real-time monitoring by Federal law enforcement agencies.<ref name="eff-calea-archive">{{cite web|url=http://w2.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/CALEA/?f=archive.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025074518/http://w2.eff.org/Privacy/Surveillance/CALEA/?f=archive.html |dead-url=yes |archive-date=2008-10-25 |title=CALEA Archive – Electronic Frontier Foundation |work=Electronic Frontier Foundation (website) |accessdate=2009-03-14 }}</ref><ref name="eff-calea-summary">{{cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/issues/calea |title=CALEA: The Perils of Wiretapping the Internet |work=Electronic Frontier Foundation (website) |accessdate=2009-03-14 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316041313/http://www.eff.org/issues/calea |archivedate=16 March 2009 |df= }}</ref><ref name="eff-calea-faq">{{cite web|url=https://www.eff.org/pages/calea-faq |title=CALEA: Frequently Asked Questions |work=Electronic Frontier Foundation (website) |accessdate=2009-03-14 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090501072553/http://www.eff.org/pages/calea-faq |archivedate=1 May 2009 |df= |date=2007-09-20 }}</ref> [[Packet capture]] is the monitoring of data traffic on a [[computer network]]. Computers communicate over the Internet by breaking up messages (emails, images, videos, web pages, files, etc.) into small chunks called "packets", which are routed through a network of computers, until they reach their destination, where they are assembled back into a complete "message" again. [[Packet Capture Appliance]] intercepts these packets as they are traveling through the network, in order to examine their contents using other programs. A packet capture is an information ''gathering'' tool, but not an ''analysis'' tool. That is it gathers "messages" but it does not analyze them and figure out what they mean. Other programs are needed to perform [[traffic analysis]] and sift through intercepted data looking for important/useful information. Under the [[Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act]] all U.S. telecommunications providers are required to install packet sniffing technology to allow Federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to intercept all of their customers' [[broadband Internet]] and [[voice over Internet protocol]] (VoIP) traffic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baller.com/pdfs/ACE.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907032500/http://www.baller.com/pdfs/ACE.pdf|title=American Council on Education vs. FCC, Decision, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|date=9 June 2006|accessdate=8 September 2013|archivedate=7 September 2012}}</ref>

The large amount of data gathered from packet capturing requires surveillance software that filters and reports relevant information, such as the use of certain words or phrases, the access of certain types of web sites, or communicating via email or chat with certain parties.<ref name="usatoday-chatroom">{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2004-10-11-chatroom-surv_x.htm|title=Government funds chat room surveillance research|last=Hill|first=Michael|date=11 October 2004|agency=Associated Press|publisher=USA Today|accessdate=2009-03-19|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511220550/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/surveillance/2004-10-11-chatroom-surv_x.htm|archivedate=11 May 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Agencies, such as the [[Information Awareness Office]], [[NSA]], [[GCHQ]] and the [[FBI]], spend billions of dollars per year to develop, purchase, implement, and operate systems for interception and analysis of data.<ref name="zdnet-fbi">{{cite news|url=http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-151059.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407040227/http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-151059.html|title=FBI turns to broad new wiretap method|last=McCullagh|first=Declan|date=30 January 2007|work=ZDNet News|accessdate=2009-03-13|archivedate=7 April 2010}}</ref> Similar systems are operated by [[Ministry of Intelligence and National Security of Iran|Iranian secret police]] to identify and suppress dissidents. The required hardware and software was allegedly installed by German [[Siemens AG]] and Finnish [[Nokia]].<ref>[http://www.debka.com/article/3509/ "First round in Internet war goes to Iranian intelligence"], [[Debkafile]], 28 June 2009. {{subscription}} {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131221173608/http://www.debka.com/article/3509/ |date=21 December 2013 }}</ref>

=== Censorship ===
[[File:Internet Censorship and Surveillance World Map.svg|thumb|upright=1.8|<center>'''[[Internet censorship by country|Internet censorship and surveillance by country]] (2018)'''<ref name=FOTN-2018>
{{cite web |title=Freedom on the Net 2018 |url=https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FOTN_2018_Final%20Booklet_11_1_2018.pdf |website=Freedom House |date=November 2018 |accessdate=1 November 2018}}</ref><ref name=ONISS-Nov2011>OpenNet Initiative [http://opennet.net/research/data "Summarized global Internet filtering data spreadsheet"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110211146/http://opennet.net/research/data |date=10 January 2012 }}, 8 November 2011 and [http://opennet.net/research/profiles "Country Profiles"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826003215/http://opennet.net/research/profiles |date=26 August 2011 }}, the OpenNet Initiative is a collaborative partnership of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto; the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University; and the SecDev Group, Ottawa</ref><ref name=ONIChildPornLegal>Due to legal concerns the [[OpenNet Initiative]] does not check for filtering of [[child pornography]] and because their classifications focus on technical filtering, they do not include other types of censorship.</ref><ref name=RWBEnemies2014>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140312120731/http://12mars.rsf.org/2014-en/#slide2 "Internet Enemies"], ''Enemies of the Internet 2014: Entities at the heart of censorship and surveillance'', Reporters Without Borders (Paris), 11 March 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.</ref><ref name=RWBEnemies>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170703221044/https://12mars.rsf.org/wp-content/uploads/EN_RAPPORT_INTERNET_BD.pdf ''Internet Enemies''], Reporters Without Borders (Paris), 12 March 2012</ref></center>
<blockquote>
{{Col begin}}
{{Col-1-of-2}}
{{legend|#F9D|Pervasive}}
{{legend|#FDD|Substantial}}
{{Col-2-of-2}}
{{legend|#FFD|Selective}}
{{legend|#98FB98|Little or none}}
{{Col end}}
<center>{{legend|#e0e0e0|Unclassified / No data}}</center>
</blockquote>
]]
{{Main|Internet censorship |Internet freedom}}
{{See also|Culture of fear|Great Firewall}}

Some governments, such as those of [[Burma]], [[Iran]], [[Censorship in North Korea|North Korea]], the [[Censorship in China|Mainland China]], [[Saudi Arabia]] and the [[United Arab Emirates]] restrict access to content on the Internet within their territories, especially to political and religious content, with domain name and keyword filters.<ref>[http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=12187 ''Access Controlled: The Shaping of Power, Rights, and Rule in Cyberspace''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604102753/http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=12187 |date=4 June 2011 }}, Ronald J. Deibert, John G. Palfrey, Rafal Rohozinski, and Jonathan Zittrain (eds), MIT Press, April 2010, {{ISBN|0-262-51435-4|978-0-262-51435-4}}</ref>

In Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Sweden, major Internet service providers have voluntarily agreed to restrict access to sites listed by authorities. While this list of forbidden resources is supposed to contain only known child pornography sites, the content of the list is secret.<ref name="The Register">{{cite web|title=Finland censors anti-censorship site |work=[[The Register]] |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/18/finnish_policy_censor_activist/ |date=18 February 2008 |accessdate=19 February 2008 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220075300/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/18/finnish_policy_censor_activist/ |archivedate=20 February 2008 |df= }}</ref> Many countries, including the United States, have enacted laws against the possession or distribution of certain material, such as [[child pornography]], via the Internet, but do not mandate filter software. Many free or commercially available software programs, called [[content-control software]] are available to users to block offensive websites on individual computers or networks, in order to limit access by children to pornographic material or depiction of violence.

== Performance ==
{{expand section|date=July 2014}}
As the Internet is a heterogeneous network, the physical characteristics, including for example the [[Bit rate|data transfer rates]] of connections, vary widely. It exhibits [[Emergence#World Wide Web and the Internet|emergent phenomena]] that depend on its large-scale organization.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Albert |first1=Réka |last2=Jeong |first2=Hawoong |last3=Barabási |first3=Albert-László |title=Diameter of the World-Wide Web |journal=Nature |date=9 September 1999 |volume=401 |issue=6749 |pages=130–131 |doi=10.1038/43601|arxiv=cond-mat/9907038 }}</ref>

=== Outages ===
An Internet blackout or outage can be caused by local signalling interruptions. Disruptions of [[submarine communications cable]]s may cause blackouts or slowdowns to large areas, such as in the [[2008 submarine cable disruption]].  Less-developed countries are more vulnerable due to a small number of high-capacity links.  Land cables are also vulnerable, as in 2011 when a woman digging for scrap metal severed most connectivity for the nation of Armenia.<ref>{{cite news|agency=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/06/georgian-woman-cuts-web-access |title=Georgian woman cuts off web access to whole of Armenia |date=6 April 2011 |accessdate=11 April 2012 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825075603/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/06/georgian-woman-cuts-web-access |archivedate=25 August 2013 |df= }}</ref> Internet blackouts affecting almost entire countries can be achieved by governments as a form of [[Internet censorship]], as in the blockage of the [[Internet in Egypt]], whereby approximately 93%<ref name="renesys1">{{cite web| last =Cowie| first =James| title =Egypt Leaves the Internet| publisher =Renesys| url =http://www.renesys.com/blog/2011/01/egypt-leaves-the-internet.shtml| accessdate =28 January 2011| archiveurl =https://www.webcitation.org/5w51j0pga?url=http://www.renesys.com/blog/2011/01/egypt-leaves-the-internet.shtml| archivedate =28 January 2011| deadurl =no| df =dmy-all}}</ref> of networks were without access in 2011 in an attempt to stop mobilization for [[Egyptian Revolution of 2011|anti-government protests]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12306041 |work=BBC News |title=Egypt severs internet connection amid growing unrest |date=28 January 2011 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123164134/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12306041 |archivedate=23 January 2012 |df= }}</ref>

=== Energy use ===
In 2011, researchers estimated the energy used by the Internet to be between 170 and 307 GW, less than two percent of the energy used by humanity. This estimate included the energy needed to build, operate, and periodically replace the estimated 750 million laptops, a billion smart phones and 100 million servers worldwide as well as the energy that routers, cell towers, optical switches, Wi-Fi transmitters and cloud storage devices use when transmitting Internet traffic.<ref>[https://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/10/307-gw-the-maximum-energy-the.html "Internet responsible for 2 per cent of global energy usage"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141001113334/http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/onepercent/2011/10/307-gw-the-maximum-energy-the.html |date=1 October 2014 }}, Jim Giles, ''New Scientist'' (Reed Business Information Ltd.), 26 October 2011.</ref><ref>[http://conferences.sigcomm.org/hotnets/2011/papers/hotnetsX-final56.pdf "The Energy and Emergy of the Internet"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810075940/http://conferences.sigcomm.org/hotnets/2011/papers/hotnetsX-final56.pdf |date=10 August 2014 }}, Barath Raghavan (ICSI) and Justin Ma (UC Berkeley), in ''Proceedings of the 10th ACM Workshop on Hot Topics in Networks'', 14–15 November 2011, Cambridge, MA. ACM SIGCOMM. {{ISBN|978-1-4503-1059-8}}</ref>

{{Clear}}

== See also ==
{{Wikipedia books|Internet}}
{{portal|Internet}}
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Crowdfunding]]
* [[Crowdsourcing]]
* [[Darknet]]
* [[Deep web]]
* [[Freenet]]
* [[Index of Internet-related articles]]
* [[Internet metaphors]]
* "[[Internets]]"
* [[Open Systems Interconnection]]
* [[Outline of the Internet]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{Free-content attribution
| title = World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development Global Report 2017/2018
| author =
| publisher = UNESCO
| page numbers = 202
| source =
| documentURL = http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0026/002610/261065e.pdf
| license statement URL = http://www.unesco.org/ulis/cgi-bin/ulis.pl?catno=261065&set=005B0D29C5_0_12&gp=1&lin=1&ll=1
| license =
}}

== Further reading ==
* [http://www.firstmonday.org/ ''First Monday''], a peer-reviewed journal on the Internet established in 1996 as a Great Cities Initiative of the University Library of the [[University of Illinois at Chicago]], {{ISSN|1396-0466}}
* [http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405196866.html ''Rise of the Network Society''], Manual Castells, Wiley-Blackwell, 1996 (1st ed) and 2009 (2nd ed), {{ISBN|978-1-4051-9686-4}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080907002515/https://www.nsf.gov/about/history/nsf0050/internet/internet.htm "The Internet: Changing the Way We Communicate"] in [https://www.nsf.gov/about/history/nsf0050/index.jsp ''America's Investment in the Future''], [[National Science Foundation]], Arlington, Va. USA, 2000
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120104203356/http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Sociology/EnvironmentTechnology/?view=usa&ci=9780199255771 "Lessons from the History of the Internet"], Manuel Castells, in ''The Internet Galaxy'', Ch. 1, pp.&nbsp;9–35, Oxford University Press, 2001, {{ISBN|978-0-19-925577-1}}
* [http://www.osce.org/fom/13836 "Media Freedom Internet Cookbook"] by the [[OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media]] Vienna, 2004
* [http://sonet.digital/articles/internet-explained/ ''The Internet Explained''], Vincent Zegna & Mike Pepper, Sonet Digital, November 2005, pp.&nbsp;1–7.
* [http://discovermagazine.com/2007/jun/how-much-does-the-internet-weigh "How Much Does The Internet Weigh?]", by Stephen Cass, ''[[Discover (magazine)|Discover]]'', 2007
* [http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/8651/description/Mapping_a_Medusa_The_Internet_spreads_its_tentacles "The Internet spreads its tentacles"], Julie Rehmeyer, ''Science News'', Vol. 171, No. 25, pp.&nbsp;387–88, 23 June 2007
* [http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415352277/ ''Internet''], Lorenzo Cantoni & Stefano Tardini, Routledge, 2006, {{ISBN|978-0-203-69888-4}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|Internet|voy=no}}
* [http://www.isoc.org/ The Internet Society]
* [http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/ Berkman Center for Internet and Society]
* [http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/index_en.htm European Commission Information Society]
* [http://www.livinginternet.com/  Living Internet], Internet history and related information, including information from many creators of the Internet

{{Media culture}}
{{Semantic Web}}
{{Cloud computing}}
{{Telecommunications}}

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