P  R  E  N  T  I  C  E     H  A  L  L

FINANCE
====== AND ======
ACCOUNTING
INTERNET GUIDE

BRENDA MIZGORSKI, CPA

 

Chapter 1 - In the Beginning . . .
>  Introduction  >  What Is the Internet?  >  History of the Internet-Who Invented It?
>  Internet History Resources > Who Owns & Runs the Internet?  
>  How the Internet Works-Just the Basics
 
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Who Owns and Runs the Internet?

The Internet is available for public use, however, many of its resources are privately owned by organizations and companies that have developed the infrastructure or backbone of the Internet.
No one organization is in charge of the Internet. Each site is responsible for its own maintenance, including its hardware, software, and network connections. In addition, at present the Internet is mostly self-regulated and all Internet sites agree to abide by the rules of the popular consensus of Internet inhabitants. The Internet Society (http://www.isoc.org/), an international nonprofit organization, has been very active as the guide and conscience for the workings of the Internet.

Quick Note: Where Did the Term "Cyberspace" Come From?

The phrase was actually coined by science fiction writer William Gibson in his 1984 novel, Neuromancer. Long before Netscape appeared, Gibson spun a tale of an infinite matrix that linked together all of the world's computer data. Life imitating art . . .

Although the Internet is not owned by any one company or organization, there are a few corporate behemoths who have a considerable financial stake in the Internet. IBM, AT&T, MCI, and Sprint have all made substantial long-term investments in building the Internet's communication infrastructure. As expected, these companies are very involved in the future direction of the Internet by exercising their power of infrastructure control.

Internet Quotes

"Technology serves to institute a new, more effective, and more pleasant form of social control and social cohesion."
-Herbert Marcuse, 1964

"Societies have always been shaped more by the media by which men communicate than by the content of the communication."
-Marshall McLuhan

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