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{{Short description|Internet development organization}}
{{Lead too short|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = Internet Society
| logo                     = Internet Society logo.svg
| alt                      = Logo of Internet Society
| abbreviation             = ISOC
| founders                 = {{ubl|[[Vint Cerf]]|[[Bob Kahn]]}}
| tax_id                   = 54-1650477<ref name=990-2016>{{cite web |url=https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/541650477_201612_990_2018011715129100.pdf |title=2016 Form 990 Filing: Internet Society |date=2018-01-17 |publisher=Internal Revenue Service |access-date=2019-12-11 |archive-date=2019-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212091533/https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/541650477_201612_990_2018011715129100.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| status                   = [[501(c)(3)]] [[nonprofit organization]]<ref name=990-2016/>
| employees                = 110
| employees_year           = 2018
| volunteers               = 4,099 (IETF, IESG, IAB, IRTF)<ref name="2018Form990-1">{{cite web |title=2018 Form 990 |work=Form 990 |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ISOC-2018-Form-990-Pub-Insp-Copy.pdf |page=1 |date=2019 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=December 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206164848/https://www.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ISOC-2018-Form-990-Pub-Insp-Copy.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=990-FAQ>{{cite web |title=Internet Society Form 990: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |work=Internet Society |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/about-internet-society/financial-reports/form-990-faq/ |access-date=March 30, 2020 |archive-date=March 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326230021/https://www.internetsociety.org/about-internet-society/financial-reports/form-990-faq/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| volunteers_year          = 2018
| revenue                  = US$56,762,624<ref name="2018Form990-1"/>
| revenue_year             = 2018
| expenses                 = US$45,104,865<ref name="2018Form990-1"/>
| expenses_year            = 2018
| endowment                = 
| leader_name              = Sally Wentworth<ref name="leadership">
 {{cite web
 | url=https://www.internetsociety.org/board-of-trustees/
 | title=Board of Trustees
 | website=internetsociety.org
 | access-date=2024-09-07
 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2024/09/beginning-a-new-role-as-president-and-ceo/ |title=Beginning a New Role as President and CEO |access-date=2024-09-07}}</ref>
| leader_title             = [[President (corporation)|President]], [[Chief Executive Officer]]
| leader_name2             = Ted Hardie<ref name="leadership" />
| leader_title2            = [[Chairman|Chair]], [[Board of Trustees]]
| formation                = {{Start date and age|1992|12|11}}<ref name=history>
 {{cite web
 | url=https://www.internetsociety.org/history/
 | title=The Internet Society and Internet History
 | website=internetsociety.org
 | access-date=2019-12-11
 | archive-date=2013-09-11
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911153409/https://www.internetsociety.org/history/
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref>
| purpose                  = Internet development, infrastructure, accessibility and standards
| subsidiaries             = {{unbulleted list|[[Public Interest Registry]] ([[501(c)(3)]])|Internet Society Asia Limited ([[Singapore]])|Internet Society Foundation<ref name="2018Form990-78">{{cite web |title=2018 Form 990 |work=Form 990 |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ISOC-2018-Form-990-Pub-Insp-Copy.pdf |page=78 |date=2019 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=December 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206164848/https://www.internetsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ISOC-2018-Form-990-Pub-Insp-Copy.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| headquarters             = [[Reston, Virginia]], [[U.S.]]<ref name="2018Form990-1"/>
| region_served            = Global
| membership               = 
| language                 = 
| website                  = {{official URL|https://www.internetsociety.org/|internetsociety.org}}
}}
{{Internet |expanded=Governance}}
{{Internet history timeline}}

The '''Internet Society''' ('''ISOC''') is an American non-profit advocacy organization whose purpose is to promote an open and safe internet. Founded in 1992, it has offices in Reston, Virginia, United States, and Geneva, Switzerland, with local chapters around the world.

== Organization ==
The Internet Society has regional bureaus worldwide,<ref name="Marsan12">{{cite news |title=Internet Society celebrates 20 years of standards, advocacy |last1=Duffy Marsan |first1=Carolyn |work=Network World |url=https://www.networkworld.com/article/2187129/internet-society-celebrates-20-years-of-standards--advocacy.html |date=March 26, 2012 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603105207/https://www.networkworld.com/article/2187129/internet-society-celebrates-20-years-of-standards--advocacy.html |url-status=live }}</ref> composed of chapters, organizational members,<ref name="Higgins17"/> and, as of July 2020, more than 70,000 individual members.<ref name="InternetSociety-Home">{{cite web |title=Internet Society |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/ |access-date=August 18, 2021 |archive-date=November 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112082937/https://www.internetsociety.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Internet Society has a staff of more than 100 and was governed by a [[board of trustees]], whose members are appointed or elected by the society's chapters, organization members, and the [[Internet Engineering Task Force]] (IETF).<ref name="Team">{{cite web|url=https://www.internetsociety.org/about-internet-society/team/|title=Meet the Team|access-date=July 30, 2020|archive-date=July 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727153442/https://www.internetsociety.org/about-internet-society/team/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.internetsociety.org/board-of-trustees/|title=Board of Trustees|access-date=Oct 4, 2020|archive-date=October 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002163810/https://www.internetsociety.org/board-of-trustees/|url-status=live}}</ref> The IETF comprised the Internet Society's volunteer base.<ref name="Volunteers">{{cite web |title=Internet Society Form 990: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/about-internet-society/financial-reports/form-990-faq/ |work=Internet Society |access-date=August 14, 2020 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603112625/https://www.internetsociety.org/about-internet-society/financial-reports/form-990-faq/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Its leadership includes Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ted Hardie; and President and CEO, Sally Wentworth.<ref name="OnPoint">{{cite news |title=Domain Wars: Nonprofit .Org Addresses Could Soon Belong To A For-Profit Company |work=[[On Point]] by [[WBUR-FM]] |url=https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/01/21/nonprofits-beware-your-org-address-could-soon-belong-to-a-for-profit-company |date=January 21, 2020 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=January 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200122173547/https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/01/21/nonprofits-beware-your-org-address-could-soon-belong-to-a-for-profit-company |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Finley20">{{cite magazine |title=Who Should Control the Internet's .Org Addresses? |last1=Finley |first1=Klint |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |url=https://www.wired.com/story/who-control-internets-org-addresses/ |date=February 4, 2020 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=February 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210201202/https://www.wired.com/story/who-control-internets-org-addresses/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Internet Society created the [[Public Interest Registry]] (PIR),<ref name="McCarthy19">{{cite news |title=Internet Society CEO: Most people don't care about the .org sell-off – and nothing short of a court order will stop it |last1=McCarthy |first1=Kieran |work=The Register |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/11/29/isoc_ceo_dot_org_sale/ |date=November 29, 2019 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=February 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209065727/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/11/29/isoc_ceo_dot_org_sale/ |url-status=live }}</ref> launched the [[Internet Hall of Fame]],<ref name="Asmelash19">{{cite news |title=Larry Irving is the first African American inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame |last1=Asmelash |first1=Leah |work=[[CNN]] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/27/us/internet-hall-of-fame-first-african-american-trnd/index.html |date=September 27, 2019 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=February 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203165200/https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/27/us/internet-hall-of-fame-first-african-american-trnd/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and served as the organizational home of the IETF.<ref name="Higgins17"/> The Internet Society Foundation was created in 2017 as its independent philanthropic arm,<ref name="McCarthy19-Opportunity">{{cite news |title=Internet Society says opportunity to sell .org to private equity biz for $1.14bn came out of the blue. Wow, really? |last1=McCarthy |first1=Kieren |work=The Register |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/12/03/internet_society_org/ |date=December 3, 2019 |access-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-date=March 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200306192429/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/12/03/internet_society_org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> which awarded grants to organizations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Grant Will Help a Tribal-Owned and Managed ISP Better Bridge the Digital Divide|url=https://gizmodo.com/a-grant-will-help-a-tribal-owned-and-managed-isp-better-1845748043|access-date=2021-11-07|website=Gizmodo|date=24 November 2020 |language=en-us|archive-date=2021-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107185126/https://gizmodo.com/a-grant-will-help-a-tribal-owned-and-managed-isp-better-1845748043|url-status=live}}</ref>

== History ==
In 1991, the [[National Science Foundation]] (NSF) contract with the [[Corporation for National Research Initiatives]] (CNRI) to operate the [[Internet Engineering Task Force]] (IETF) expired. The need for an Internet Society was announced June 1991 at the ITC13 Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.<ref>{{cite web |title=ITC13 Conference |url=https://itc-conference.org/congresses/itc013.html |website=The First International Conference in Networking Science & Practice |publisher=International Teletraffic Congress |access-date=5 June 2025}}</ref> The [[Internet Architecture Board]] (IAB) actively encouraged the formation of a non-profit professional society. The intent was for the internet society to be designed to be primarily a grass-roots organization, as free as possible from domination by any single organization or subset of the Internet community.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Westine |first1=Ann |title=Internet Monthly Report - June 1991 |url=https://www.iana.org/archive/internet-monthly-reports/1991/imr-jun91.txt |website=Archives of Internet Monthly Reports |publisher=Internet Assigned Numbers Authority |access-date=5 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Liz |first1=Skinner |title=Net 'Business Backbone' |url=https://www.washingtontechnology.com/1994/06/net-business-backbone/327777/ |access-date=5 June 2025 |publisher=Washington Technology |date=June 9, 1994}}</ref>

In 1992 [[Vint Cerf]], [[Bob Kahn]] and 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 the [[Internet Research Task Force]] (IRTF), plus the organization of the annual INET meetings.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vint Cerf, Bob Kahn, Lyman Chapin |title=Announcing the Internet Society |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/internet/history-of-the-internet/announcing-internet-society/ |access-date=15 December 2019 |date=1992 |archive-date=29 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729231011/https://www.internetsociety.org/internet/history-of-the-internet/announcing-internet-society/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This arrangement was formalized in [[Request for Comments|RFC]]1602 in 1993.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1602.html|title=The Internet Standards Process – Revision 2|last1=Internet Engineering Steering Group|last2=Internet Architecture Board|website=tools.ietf.org|date=March 1994 |access-date=Oct 4, 2020|archive-date=October 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018124321/https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1602.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Anthony Rutkowski]] was appointed the first Executive Director of ISOC in 1994, after serving as Vice-President and founding trustee for two years.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Huston |first1=Geoff |title=Minutes of Board Meeting No. 4 |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/board-of-trustees/minutes/4/ |website=Internet Society |access-date=6 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Hafner |first1=Katie |title=Profile; For 'Father of the Internet,' New Goals, Same Energy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/25/business/profile-for-father-of-the-internet-new-goals-same-energy.html |access-date=6 June 2025 |publisher=The New York Times |date=September 25, 1994}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=ISOC Board of Trustees |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/board-of-trustees/1994-1995/ |website=Interest Society |access-date=6 June 2025}}</ref> The same year, ISOC founded its first Chapter in Japan and opened a permanent international headquarters in Reston, Virginia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Internet Society History |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/history/ |website=Internet Society History |publisher=Internet Society |access-date=6 June 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Skinner |first1=Liz |title=Net ‘Business Backbone’. |url=https://www.washingtontechnology.com/1994/06/net-business-backbone/327777/ |access-date=6 June 2025 |publisher=Washington Technology |date=June 9, 1994}}</ref>

In 1995, [[Lawrence Landweber]] succeeded Vint Cerf as ISOC President.<ref>{{cite web |title=Internet Society History |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/history/ |website=Internet Society History |publisher=Internet Society |access-date=6 June 2025}}</ref>

[[Donald Heath]] become President and CEO of ISOC in 1996.<ref>{{cite web |title=Internet Society History |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/history/ |website=Internet Society History |publisher=Internet Society |access-date=6 June 2025}}</ref>

In 1999, after [[Jon Postel]]'s death, ISOC established the [[Jonathan 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 from [[Afilias]] (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 [[.org]] registry and formed the [[Public Interest Registry]] (PIR), to manage and operate it.

In 2010, ISOC launched its first [[community network]] initiative to deploy five wireless mesh-based networks in rural locations across India.<ref>{{cite news |title=Internet Society and Digital Empowerment Foundation Launch Initiative To Bring the Next Billion Online |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/internet-society-and-digital-empowerment-foundation-launch-initiative-to-bring-the-next-billion-online-106426578.html |publisher=[[PR Newswire]] |date=1 November 2010 |access-date=7 January 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801215010/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/internet-society-and-digital-empowerment-foundation-launch-initiative-to-bring-the-next-billion-online-106426578.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2012, on ISOC's 20th anniversary, it established the [[Internet 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 mounted [[World IPv6 Day]] to test [[IPv6 deployment]].

In 2012 ISOC launched Deploy360, a portal and training program to promote [[IPv6]] and [[DNSSEC]].<ref name="auto">{{cite news |last1=Jackson |first1=William |title=Internet Society launches info hub for DNSSEC, IPv6 |url=https://gcn.com/articles/2012/02/06/cybereye-box-ipv6-dnssec-info-hub.aspx |access-date=15 December 2019 |work=Cybereye |publisher=GCN |date=February 6, 2012 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801212616/https://gcn.com/articles/2012/02/06/cybereye-box-ipv6-dnssec-info-hub.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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

In 2016 Deploy 360 extended its campaigns to include [[Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security]] (MANRS) and [[DNS-based Authentication of Named Entities]] (DANE).

In September 2016, the Internet Society indicated that it would not seek to obtain a license from the [[Office of Foreign Assets Control]] (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury that would allow it to fund the activities of Iranian nationals.<ref>{{cite mailing list |last=Hill |first=Richard |title=FW: [Internet Policy] Internet Society is denying Iranians for participation in Internet Governance Forum |mailing-list=Chapter-delegates |date=16 September 2016 |url=https://elists.isoc.org/pipermail/chapter-delegates/2016-September/017954.html}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>  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 students to visit the Internet Governance Forum in Mexico.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}}

In 2017 ISOC's North America Region launched an annual Indigenous Connectivity Summit with an event in [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Indigenous Connectivity Summit 2017 |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/events/indigenous-connectivity-summit/2017/ |access-date=15 December 2019 |archive-date=15 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215090821/https://www.internetsociety.org/events/indigenous-connectivity-summit/2017/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In subsequent years the event has been held in [[Inuvik]], NWT,<ref>{{cite web |title=Indigenous Connectivity Summit 2018 |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/events/indigenous-connectivity-summit/2018/ |access-date=15 December 2019 |archive-date=15 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215090814/https://www.internetsociety.org/events/indigenous-connectivity-summit/2018/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Hilo, Hawaii]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Indigenous Connectivity Summit 2019 |url=https://www.internetsociety.org/events/indigenous-connectivity-summit/2019/ |access-date=15 December 2019 |archive-date=15 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215090815/https://www.internetsociety.org/events/indigenous-connectivity-summit/2019/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

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 an [[Internet of Things]] (IoT) Trust Framework.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Leyden |first1=John |title=Online Trust Alliance merges with Internet Society |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/05/ota_isoc_merger/ |access-date=15 December 2019 |publisher=[[The Register]] |date=5 April 2017 |archive-date=15 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215090810/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/05/ota_isoc_merger/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In August 2018 the Internet Society organized the IETF more formally as the IETF Administration LLC (IETF LLC) underneath ISOC.<ref>{{cite web |title=Limited Liability Company Agreement of IETF Administration LLC |url=https://www.ietf.org/media/documents/IETF-LLC-Agreement.pdf |access-date=14 August 2020 |archive-date=29 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629143424/https://www.ietf.org/media/documents/IETF-LLC-Agreement.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The IETF LLC continues to be closely associated with ISOC and is significantly funded by ISOC.

In 2019 the Internet Society agreed to the sale of the Public Interest Registry (PIR) to [[Ethos Capital]] for $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 an [[Financial endowment|endowment]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Andrew Sullivan |date=29 November 2019 |title=Advancing the Internet Society's Mission Into the Future |url=https://www.keypointsabout.org/blog/advancing-the-internet-societys-mission-into-the-future |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216030906/https://www.keypointsabout.org/blog/advancing-the-internet-societys-mission-into-the-future |archive-date=2019-12-16}}</ref> 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 a [[private equity]] investment firm.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Kieren McCarthy |title=As pressure builds over .org sell-off, internet governance bodies fall back into familiar pattern: Silence |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/11/26/org_selloff_internet/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128201846/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/11/26/org_selloff_internet/ |archive-date=2019-11-28 |access-date=2019-11-29 |publisher=[[The Register]]}}</ref> In late January 2020, the [[ICANN]] halted its final approval of the sale after the [[Attorney General of California]] requested 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=at 21:24 |first=Thomas Claburn in San Francisco 31 Jan 2020 |title=ICANN't approve the sale of .org to private equity – because California's Attorney General has... concerns |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/31/icann_dot_org_sale/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211214858/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/31/icann_dot_org_sale/ |archive-date=2020-02-11 |access-date=2020-02-22 |website=www.theregister.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> In February, the Internet Society's ''Chapter Advisory Council'' (which represents its membership) began the process to adopt a motion rejecting the sale if certain conditions were not complied with.<ref>{{Cite web |last=at 07:12 |first=Kieren McCarthy in San Francisco 19 Feb 2020 |title=Now Internet Society told to halt controversial .org sale… by its own advisory council: 'You misread the community mindset around dot-org' |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/02/19/dot_org_sale_isoc_advice/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221010413/https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/02/19/dot_org_sale_isoc_advice/ |archive-date=2020-02-21 |access-date=2020-02-22 |website=www.theregister.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> On April 30, 2020, ICANN rejected the proposal to sell the PIR to Ethos Capital.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ICANN Board Withholds Consent for a Change of Control of the Public Interest Registry (PIR) |url=https://www.icann.org/news/blog/icann-board-withholds-consent-for-a-change-of-control-of-the-public-interest-registry-pir |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200501025304/https://www.icann.org/news/blog/icann-board-withholds-consent-for-a-change-of-control-of-the-public-interest-registry-pir |archive-date=2020-05-01 |access-date=2020-04-30 |language=en}}</ref><ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-icann-org-sale-idUSKBN22D4FV "ICANN rejects sale of .org to for-profit investor group"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502093615/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-icann-org-sale-idUSKBN22D4FV|date=2020-05-02}}, Joseph Menn, Reuters, May 1, 2020.</ref>

== Support of United Nations Internet Governance Initiative ==
The ubiquity of the Internet in modern-day society has prompted [[António Guterres]], the [[United Nations]] [[UNSG|Secretary-General]] to 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.internetsociety.org/events/igf/2020/|title=IGF 2020|access-date=October 4, 2020|archive-date=October 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028015613/https://www.internetsociety.org/events/igf/2020/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Activities ==
In the late 1990s, the Internet Society established the [[Jonathan B. Postel Service Award]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2468 |author=Vint Cerf |author-link=Vint Cerf |title=I remember IANA |date=October 1998 |publisher=<nowiki>RFC 2468</nowiki> |access-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020070200/https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2468 |url-status=live }}</ref> 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 included [[MANRS]] (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.<ref name="Higgins19">{{cite news |title=Internet Routing Security Initiative Launches Online 'Observatory' |last1=Higgins |first1=Kelly Jackson |work=Dark Reading |url=https://www.darkreading.com/analytics/internet-routing-security-initiative-launches-online-observatory/d/d-id/1335509 |date=August 13, 2019 |access-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-date=April 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406060519/https://www.darkreading.com/analytics/internet-routing-security-initiative-launches-online-observatory/d/d-id/1335509 |url-status=live }}</ref>

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.<ref name="Batambuze16">{{cite news |title=The Internet Society brings African Peering and Interconnection Forum to Tanzania for first time |last1=Batambuze III |first1=Ephraime |work=PC Tech Magazine |url=https://pctechmag.com/2016/03/the-internet-society-brings-african-peering-and-interconnection-forum-to-tanzania-for-first-time/ |date=March 30, 2016 |access-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603110315/https://pctechmag.com/2016/03/the-internet-society-brings-african-peering-and-interconnection-forum-to-tanzania-for-first-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Aptantech20">{{cite news |title=Forum to propose how to build the internet ecosystem in Ethiopia |work=Aptantech |url=https://aptantech.com/2020/02/forum-to-propose-how-to-build-the-internet-ecosystem-in-ethiopia/ |date=February 29, 2020 |access-date=March 18, 2020 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603114607/https://aptantech.com/2020/02/forum-to-propose-how-to-build-the-internet-ecosystem-in-ethiopia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The society offered Deploy360, an information hub, portal and training program to promote [[IPv6]] and [[DNSSEC]].<ref name="auto"/>

In 2017 it launched an annual Indigenous Connectivity Summit to connect tribal communities, starting with an event in [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]]. In subsequent years the event was held in [[Inuvik]], NWT, and [[Hilo, Hawaii]].<ref name="Scott">{{cite news |title='Inuvik is a community the world can learn from': Rural internet hot topic at summit |last1=Scott |first1=Mackenzie |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/inuvik-indigenous-connectivity-summit-1.4860871?cmp=rss |work=CBC News |date=October 12, 2018 |access-date=March 3, 2020 |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407181005/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/inuvik-indigenous-connectivity-summit-1.4860871?cmp=rss |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Valleau">{{cite news |title=Calgary grad student helps bring internet to remote Hawaiian community |last1=Valleau |first1=Natalie |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/internet-indigenous-university-calgary-hawaii-1.5375258 |work=CBC News |date=November 27, 2019 |access-date=March 3, 2020 |archive-date=January 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200107105303/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/internet-indigenous-university-calgary-hawaii-1.5375258 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The society also publishes reports on global Internet issues,<ref name="Deb19">{{cite news |title=The Internet @ 30: Big hope to big bother |last1=Deb |first1=Sandipan |work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]] |url=https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/the-internet-30-big-hope-to-big-bother-1554156689591.html |date=April 2, 2019 |access-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-date=January 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200129160545/https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/the-internet-30-big-hope-to-big-bother-1554156689591.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and has created tools, surveys, codes, and policy recommendations to improve Internet use.<ref name="Feldstein19">{{cite news |title=To end mass protests, Sudan has cut off Internet access nationwide. Here's why. |last1=Feldstein |first1=Steven |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/06/13/end-mass-protests-sudan-has-cut-off-internet-access-nationwide-heres-why/ |date=June 13, 2019 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=November 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191108003421/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/06/13/end-mass-protests-sudan-has-cut-off-internet-access-nationwide-heres-why/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Molla19">{{cite news |title=People say they care about privacy but they continue to buy devices that can spy on them |last1=Molla |first1=Rani |work=[[Vox Media]] |url=https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/5/13/18547235/trust-smart-devices-privacy-security |date=May 13, 2019 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=March 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313215938/https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/5/13/18547235/trust-smart-devices-privacy-security |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Zurier19">{{cite news |title=Internet Society to Issue Privacy Code of Conduct |last1=Zurier |first1=Steve |work=Dark Reading |url=https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint/privacy/internet-society-to-issue-privacy-code-of-conduct/d/d-id/1333739 |date=January 25, 2019 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603104800/https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint/privacy/internet-society-to-issue-privacy-code-of-conduct/d/d-id/1333739 |url-status=live }}</ref> The society supports projects to build community networks and infrastructure, secure routing protocols, and advocate for end-to-end encryption.<ref name="Gilbert20">{{cite news |title=3 Billionaire Republican Families Are About to Buy the Dot-Org Domain. That's Terrifying Nonprofits. |last1=Gilbert |first1=David |work=[[Vice Media]] |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/3-billionaire-republican-families-are-about-to-buy-the-dot-org-domain-thats-terrifying-nonprofits/ |date=January 24, 2020 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=January 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125150352/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wxenaz/3-billionaire-republican-families-are-about-to-buy-the-dot-org-domain-thats-terrifying-nonprofits |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Higgins17">{{cite news |title=Internet Society Takes On IoT, Website Security, Incident Response via OTA Merger |last1=Higgins |first1=Kelly Jackson |work=Dark Reading |url=https://www.darkreading.com/iot/internet-society-takes-on-iot-website-security-incident-response-via-ota-merger/d/d-id/1329031 |date=June 1, 2017 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=June 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603105304/https://www.darkreading.com/iot/internet-society-takes-on-iot-website-security-incident-response-via-ota-merger/d/d-id/1329031 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Singh20">{{cite news |title=Over two dozen encryption experts call on India to rethink changes to its intermediary liability rules |last1=Singh |first1=Manish |work=[[TechCrunch]] |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/09/over-two-dozen-encryption-experts-call-on-india-to-rethink-changes-to-its-intermediary-liability-rules/ |date=January 9, 2020 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=February 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210064559/https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/09/over-two-dozen-encryption-experts-call-on-india-to-rethink-changes-to-its-intermediary-liability-rules/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Portal|Internet}}
{{Commonscat}}
* {{official website|https://www.internetsociety.org}}
* [https://www.internetsociety.org/history/oral-history-of-the-internet-societys-founding/ An Oral History of the Internet Society's Founding] (2013)

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Internet Society| ]]
[[Category:History of the Internet]]
[[Category:Internet governance organizations]]
[[Category:Internet Standards]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1992]]
[[Category:1992 establishments in the United States]]