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Internet Society

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Internet Society
AbbreviationISOC
FormationDecember 11, 1992;31 years ago(1992-12-11)[1]
Founders
54-1650477[2]
Legal status501(c)(3)nonprofit organization[2]
PurposeInternet development, infrastructure, accessibility and standards
HeadquartersReston, Virginia,U.S.[3]
Region served
Global
Andrew Sullivan[4]
Ted Hardie[4]
Subsidiaries
Revenue(2018)
US$56,762,624[3]
Expenses(2018)US$45,104,865[3]
Employees(2018)
110
Volunteers(2018)
4,099 (IETF, IESG, IAB, IRTF)[3][6]
Websiteinternetsociety.org
Internet
Visualization of Internet routing paths
AnOpte Projectvisualization ofrouting pathsthrough a portion of the Internet
General
Governance
Information infrastructure
Services
History
Guides
iconInternet portal

TheInternet Society(ISOC) is an American nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1992 with local chapters around the world. Its mission is "to promote the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world". It has offices inReston, Virginia,U.S., andGeneva,Switzerland.

Organization

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The Internet Society has regional bureaus worldwide,[7]composed of chapters, organizational members,[8]and, as of July 2020, more than 70,000 individual members.[9]The Internet Society has a staff of more than 100 and was governed by aboard of trustees,whose members are appointed or elected by the society's chapters, organization members, and theInternet Engineering Task Force(IETF).[10][11]The IETF comprised the Internet Society's volunteer base.[12]Its leadership includes Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ted Hardie; and President and CEO, Andrew Sullivan.[13][14]

The Internet Society created thePublic Interest Registry(PIR),[15]launched theInternet Hall of Fame,[16]and served as the organizational home of the IETF.[8]The Internet Society Foundation was created in 2017 as its independent philanthropic arm,[17]which awarded grants to organizations.[18]

History

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In 1991, theNational Science Foundation(NSF) contract with theCorporation for National Research Initiatives(CNRI) to operate theInternet Engineering Task Force(IETF) expired. The thenInternet Activities Board(IAB) sought to create a non-profit institution that could take over the role. In 1992Vint Cerf,Bob Kahnand Lyman Chapin announced the formation of the Internet Society as "a professional society to facilitate, support, and promote the evolution and growth of the Internet as a global research communications infrastructure", which would incorporate the IAB, the IETF, and theInternet Research Task Force(IRTF), plus the organization of the annual INET meetings.[19]This arrangement was formalized inRFC1602 in 1993.[20]

In 1999, afterJon Postel's death, ISOC established theJonathan B. Postel Service Award.The award has been presented every year since 1999 by the Internet Society to "honor a person who has made outstanding contributions in service to the data communications community".

By mid-2000, the Internet Society's finances became precarious, and several individuals and organizations stepped forward to fill the gap. Until 2001, there were also trustees elected by individual members of the Internet Society. Those elections were "suspended" in 2001. This was ostensibly done as a fiscal measure due to the perception that the elections were too expensive for the precarious financial state of the organization. In later Bylaw revisions, the concept of individual member-selected trustees went from "suspended" to being deleted altogether.

In late 2001, leaders fromAfilias(a domain name registry) approached the Internet Society CEO Lynn St.Amour, to propose a novel partnership to jointly bid for the.org registry. In this model, the Internet Society would become the new home of.org, and all technical and service functions would be managed by Afilias. Afilias would pay for all bid expenses and would contribute towards the Internet Society payroll while the bid was under consideration by ICANN. The Internet Society Board approved this proposal at their Board meeting in 2001.

In 2002 ISOC successfully bid for the.orgregistry and formed thePublic Interest Registry(PIR), to manage and operate it.

In 2010, ISOC launched its firstcommunity networkinitiative to deploy five wireless mesh-based networks in rural locations across India.[21]

In 2012, on ISOC's 20th anniversary, it established theInternet Hall of Fame,an award to "publicly recognize a distinguished and select group of visionaries, leaders, and luminaries who have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of the global Internet".

On June 8, 2011, ISOC mountedWorld IPv6 Dayto testIPv6 deployment.

In 2012 ISOC launched Deploy360, a portal and training program to promoteIPv6andDNSSEC.[22]

On June 6, 2012, ISOC organized theWorld IPv6 Launch,this time with the intention of leaving IPv6 permanently enabled on all participating sites.

In 2016 Deploy 360 extended its campaigns to includeMutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security(MANRS) andDNS-based Authentication of Named Entities(DANE).

In 2017 ISOC's North America Region launched an annual Indigenous Connectivity Summit with an event inSanta Fe, New Mexico.[23]In subsequent years the event has been held inInuvik,NWT,[24]andHilo, Hawaii.[25]

In December 2017 ISOC absorbed the standards body Online Trust Alliance (OTA) which produces an annual Online Trust Audit, a Cyber Incident Response Guide, and anInternet of Things(IoT) Trust Framework.[26]

In August 2018 the Internet Society organized the IETF more formally as the IETF Administration LLC (IETF LLC) underneath ISOC.[27]The IETF LLC continues to be closely associated with ISOC and is significantly funded by ISOC.

Support of United Nations Internet Governance Initiative

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The ubiquity of the Internet in modern-day society has promptedAntónio Guterres,theUnited NationsSecretary-Generalto convene a panel of professional experts to discuss the future of the Internet and the role of the Internet in globalized digital cooperation. Three models were proposed after several rounds of discussion, i.e. a Digital Commons Architecture (DCA), a Distributed Co-Governance Architecture (CoGov), and a reformed Internet Governance Forum (IGF+). As of October 2020, the ISOC is leading and facilitating multi-round meetings for Stakeholders' Dialogue to collect, compile, and submit the inputs of worldwide professionals and experts for future governance of the Internet.[28]

Activities

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In the late 1990s, the Internet Society established theJonathan B. Postel Service Award.[29]It was presented every year to honor a person who has made outstanding contributions in service to the data communications community.

The Internet Society's activities includedMANRS(Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security) – which was launched in 2014 to provide crucial fixes to reduce the most common threats to the Internet's routing infrastructure.[30]

The society organized the Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) to help grow the Internet infrastructure in Africa and hosts Internet development conferences in developing markets.[31][32]

The society offered Deploy360, an information hub, portal and training program to promoteIPv6andDNSSEC.[22]

In 2017 it launched an annual Indigenous Connectivity Summit to connect tribal communities, starting with an event inSanta Fe, New Mexico.In subsequent years the event was held inInuvik,NWT, andHilo, Hawaii.[33][34]

The society also publishes reports on global Internet issues,[35]and created tools, surveys, codes, and policy recommendations to improve Internet use.[36][37][38]The society supports projects to build community networks and infrastructure, secure routing protocols, and advocate for end-to-end encryption.[39][8][40]

Controversies

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Sale of the Public Interest Registry

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In 2019 the Internet Society agreed to the sale of the Public Interest Registry toEthos Capitalfor $1.135 billion, a transaction initially expected to be completed in early 2020. The Internet Society said it planned to use the proceeds to fund anendowment.[41]The Public Interest Registry is a non-profit subsidiary of the Internet Society which operates three top-level domain names (.ORG,.NGO, and.ONG), all of which have traditionally focused on serving the non-profit and non-governmental organization communities.

The sale was met with significant opposition due to involving the transfer of what is viewed as a public asset to aprivate equityinvestment firm.[42]In late January 2020, theICANNhalted its final approval of the sale after theAttorney General of Californiarequested detailed documentation from all parties, citing concerns that both ICANN and the Internet Society had potentially violated their public interest missions as registered charities subject to the laws of California.[43]In February, the Internet Society'sChapter Advisory Council(which represents its membership) began the process to adopt a motion rejecting the sale if certain conditions were not complied with.[44]On April 30, 2020, ICANN rejected the proposal to sell the PIR to Ethos Capital.[45][46]

Denial of participation of Iranians in activities

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In September 2016, the Internet Society indicated that it would not seek to obtain a license from theOffice of Foreign Assets Control(OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury that would allow it to fund the activities of Iranian nationals.[47]This caused considerable distress to ISOC members in Iran, who were thus unable to launch an Internet Society chapter in Iran, and saw a fellowship revoked that the Internet Society had awarded to fund the travel of Iranian student to visit the Internet Governance Forum in Mexico.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "The Internet Society and Internet History".internetsociety.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2013-09-11.Retrieved2019-12-11.
  2. ^ab"2016 Form 990 Filing: Internet Society"(PDF).Internal Revenue Service. 2018-01-17.Archived(PDF)from the original on 2019-12-12.Retrieved2019-12-11.
  3. ^abcd"2018 Form 990"(PDF).Form 990.2019. p. 1.Archived(PDF)from the original on December 6, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  4. ^ab "Board of Trustees".internetsociety.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-12-10.Retrieved2019-12-11.
  5. ^"2018 Form 990"(PDF).Form 990.2019. p. 78.Archived(PDF)from the original on December 6, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  6. ^"Internet Society Form 990: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)".Internet Society.Archivedfrom the original on March 26, 2020.RetrievedMarch 30,2020.
  7. ^Duffy Marsan, Carolyn (March 26, 2012)."Internet Society celebrates 20 years of standards, advocacy".Network World.Archivedfrom the original on June 3, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  8. ^abcHiggins, Kelly Jackson (June 1, 2017)."Internet Society Takes On IoT, Website Security, Incident Response via OTA Merger".Dark Reading.Archivedfrom the original on June 3, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  9. ^"Internet Society".Archivedfrom the original on November 12, 2019.RetrievedAugust 18,2021.
  10. ^"Meet the Team".Archivedfrom the original on July 27, 2020.RetrievedJuly 30,2020.
  11. ^"Board of Trustees".Archivedfrom the original on October 2, 2020.RetrievedOct 4,2020.
  12. ^"Internet Society Form 990: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)".Internet Society.Archivedfrom the original on June 3, 2020.RetrievedAugust 14,2020.
  13. ^"Domain Wars: Nonprofit.Org Addresses Could Soon Belong To A For-Profit Company".On PointbyWBUR-FM.January 21, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on January 22, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  14. ^Finley, Klint (February 4, 2020)."Who Should Control the Internet's.Org Addresses?".Wired.Archivedfrom the original on February 10, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  15. ^McCarthy, Kieran (November 29, 2019)."Internet Society CEO: Most people don't care about the.org sell-off – and nothing short of a court order will stop it".The Register.Archivedfrom the original on February 9, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  16. ^Asmelash, Leah (September 27, 2019)."Larry Irving is the first African American inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame".CNN.Archivedfrom the original on February 3, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  17. ^McCarthy, Kieren (December 3, 2019)."Internet Society says opportunity to sell.org to private equity biz for $1.14bn came out of the blue. Wow, really?".The Register.Archivedfrom the original on March 6, 2020.RetrievedMarch 17,2020.
  18. ^"A Grant Will Help a Tribal-Owned and Managed ISP Better Bridge the Digital Divide".Gizmodo.24 November 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-11-07.Retrieved2021-11-07.
  19. ^Vint Cerf, Bob Kahn, Lyman Chapin (1992)."Announcing the Internet Society".Archivedfrom the original on 29 July 2020.Retrieved15 December2019.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^Internet Engineering Steering Group; Internet Architecture Board (March 1994)."The Internet Standards Process – Revision 2".tools.ietf.org.Archivedfrom the original on October 18, 2020.RetrievedOct 4,2020.
  21. ^"Internet Society and Digital Empowerment Foundation Launch Initiative To Bring the Next Billion Online".PR Newswire.1 November 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 1 August 2020.Retrieved7 January2020.
  22. ^abJackson, William (February 6, 2012)."Internet Society launches info hub for DNSSEC, IPv6".Cybereye.GCN. Archived fromthe originalon 1 August 2020.Retrieved15 December2019.
  23. ^"Indigenous Connectivity Summit 2017".Archivedfrom the original on 15 December 2019.Retrieved15 December2019.
  24. ^"Indigenous Connectivity Summit 2018".Archivedfrom the original on 15 December 2019.Retrieved15 December2019.
  25. ^"Indigenous Connectivity Summit 2019".Archivedfrom the original on 15 December 2019.Retrieved15 December2019.
  26. ^Leyden, John (5 April 2017)."Online Trust Alliance merges with Internet Society".The Register.Archivedfrom the original on 15 December 2019.Retrieved15 December2019.
  27. ^"Limited Liability Company Agreement of IETF Administration LLC"(PDF).Archived(PDF)from the original on 29 June 2021.Retrieved14 August2020.
  28. ^"IGF 2020".Archivedfrom the original on October 28, 2020.RetrievedOctober 4,2020.
  29. ^Vint Cerf(October 1998)."I remember IANA".RFC 2468.Archivedfrom the original on October 20, 2020.RetrievedJuly 30,2020.
  30. ^Higgins, Kelly Jackson (August 13, 2019)."Internet Routing Security Initiative Launches Online 'Observatory'".Dark Reading.Archivedfrom the original on April 6, 2020.RetrievedMarch 17,2020.
  31. ^Batambuze III, Ephraime (March 30, 2016)."The Internet Society brings African Peering and Interconnection Forum to Tanzania for first time".PC Tech Magazine.Archivedfrom the original on June 3, 2020.RetrievedMarch 17,2020.
  32. ^"Forum to propose how to build the internet ecosystem in Ethiopia".Aptantech.February 29, 2020.Archivedfrom the original on June 3, 2020.RetrievedMarch 18,2020.
  33. ^Scott, Mackenzie (October 12, 2018)."'Inuvik is a community the world can learn from': Rural internet hot topic at summit ".CBC News.Archivedfrom the original on April 7, 2022.RetrievedMarch 3,2020.
  34. ^Valleau, Natalie (November 27, 2019)."Calgary grad student helps bring internet to remote Hawaiian community".CBC News.Archivedfrom the original on January 7, 2020.RetrievedMarch 3,2020.
  35. ^Deb, Sandipan (April 2, 2019)."The Internet @ 30: Big hope to big bother".Mint.Archivedfrom the original on January 29, 2020.RetrievedMarch 17,2020.
  36. ^Feldstein, Steven (June 13, 2019)."To end mass protests, Sudan has cut off Internet access nationwide. Here's why".The Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  37. ^Molla, Rani (May 13, 2019)."People say they care about privacy but they continue to buy devices that can spy on them".Vox Media.Archivedfrom the original on March 13, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  38. ^Zurier, Steve (January 25, 2019)."Internet Society to Issue Privacy Code of Conduct".Dark Reading.Archivedfrom the original on June 3, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  39. ^Gilbert, David (January 24, 2020)."3 Billionaire Republican Families Are About to Buy the Dot-Org Domain. That's Terrifying Nonprofits".Vice Media.Archivedfrom the original on January 25, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  40. ^Singh, Manish (January 9, 2020)."Over two dozen encryption experts call on India to rethink changes to its intermediary liability rules".TechCrunch.Archivedfrom the original on February 10, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 19,2020.
  41. ^Andrew Sullivan (29 November 2019)."Advancing the Internet Society's Mission Into the Future".Archived fromthe originalon 2019-12-16.
  42. ^Kieren McCarthy."As pressure builds over.org sell-off, internet governance bodies fall back into familiar pattern: Silence".The Register.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-11-28.Retrieved2019-11-29.
  43. ^at 21:24, Thomas Claburn in San Francisco 31 Jan 2020."ICANN't approve the sale of.org to private equity – because California's Attorney General has... concerns".theregister.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-02-11.Retrieved2020-02-22.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  44. ^at 07:12, Kieren McCarthy in San Francisco 19 Feb 2020."Now Internet Society told to halt controversial.org sale… by its own advisory council: 'You misread the community mindset around dot-org'".theregister.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-02-21.Retrieved2020-02-22.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  45. ^"ICANN Board Withholds Consent for a Change of Control of the Public Interest Registry (PIR)".Archivedfrom the original on 2020-05-01.Retrieved2020-04-30.
  46. ^"ICANN rejects sale of.org to for-profit investor group"Archived2020-05-02 at theWayback Machine,Joseph Menn, Reuters, May 1, 2020.
  47. ^Hill, Richard (16 September 2016)."FW: [Internet Policy] Internet Society is denying Iranians for participation in Internet Governance Forum".Chapter-delegates(Mailing list).[permanent dead link]
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