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Resource Library

Everyone should have access to an open and trusted Internet.
Read our reports, papers, and other documents for insight and vision on how we can get there.

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Action Plan 2026

From our strategic vision to specific goals, read about how we’ll be advancing our five-year strategy in the coming year.

2019-2024 Impact Results

Our Impact Report is a snapshot of how we worked with our global community to grow, promote, and defend the Internet worldwide.

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Internet Impact Briefs

Shorter reports that analyze how different policies or new technologies may affect what the Internet needs to exist and thrive.

Glossary of Internet Terms

Understand key terms and become fluent in the language of the Internet with our new and improved glossary. 

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Policy Briefs

Our perspective on critical Internet issues, including community networks, encryption, open Internet standards, Internet Exchange Points, and more.

Discussion paper on the contribution of the Internet to content creation

The Internet is a platform that is ideal for the distribution of digital content such as music or video. In general, given that the Internet empowers technology at its edges, ...

A report on a micro survey regarding online privacy and personal data

In February 2013, in preparation for a workshop entitled “The New PII: Privacy-Impacting Information” organised by the Internet Society at the WSIS+10 Review Event, the Internet Society invited its members ...

Cybersecurity: Searching for a Common Understanding

There is no common agreement or consensus as to what the term “cybersecurity” means. A lack of a common shared understanding of this term is the primary obstacle to the ...

The New PII: Privacy-Impacting Information

Has the concept of “personal data” evolved in light of societal, commercial and technological developments? Why are there national and regional variations in legal definitions? Are there tangible privacy risks ...

Global Internet User Survey Infographic

The 2012 Global Internet User Survey focused on issues such as of how users accessed the Internet, what applications they use, how they managed their personal information online, the internet's ...

Summary of activities undertaken by the Internet Society related to the implementation of the targets, recommendations, and commitments of the World Summit on the Information Society

The Internet Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1992. It is the world’s trusted independent source of leadership for Internet policy, technology standards and future development. Based on its ...

Report on Routing Resiliency Measurements Workshop

The issue of routing security has been an object of constant attention by the industry for more than a decade. BGP vulnerabilities were identified as early as ...

A Summary Report: Promoting the Use of Internet Exchange Points

Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) are vital elements of Internet infrastructure that enable networks to exchange traffic with each other. Multiple Internet service providers (ISPs) can connect at a single IXP, ...

The Modern Paradigm for Standards

The OpenStand principles—based on the effective and efficient standardization processes that have made the Internet and Web the premiere platforms for innovation and borderless commerce—are proven in their ability to ...

Some Perspectives on Cybersecurity 2012

This paper is intended to help anyone concerned about the healthy evolution of the Internet with an introduction to cybersecurity ...

Internet Accessibility: Internet Use by Persons with Disabilities: Moving Forwards

Through this paper, the Internet Society wishes to expand our work with everyone in the Internet community to improving persons with disabilities' access to the Internet. If the appropriate Internet ...

Internet Society Submission for the ITU World Conference on International Telecommunication Regulations (WCIT-12)

The Internet Society (ISOC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people throughout the world. Since ...

Archives

Understanding Your Online Identity: Learning to Protect your Identity

Identity theft, which results in a loss of control over one or more of your partial identities, is a natural concern; as the value of your partial identities grows, the ...

Understanding your Online Identity: An Overview of Identity

This paper is intended to help explain the various different identities and profiles that represent you online ...

Privacy: An Internet Society Membership Survey

Privacy and data protection issues have increasingly gained prominence in Internet governance discussions. Indeed, one of the five themes of the Internet Governance Forum 2010 is “Openness, Security and Privacy”, ...

The Internet Domain Name System Explained for Non-Experts by Daniel Karrenberg

Dear non-Experts,

This is for you, who always wanted or needed to know how Internet names really work. The Internet Domain Name System (DNS) is a fascinating ...

Annual Reports and Financials

On annual basis, we publish annual reports (an Action Plan and Impact Report), as well as financial reports, annual financial statements, and Form 990s.