Who owns the Internet? The answer to that question is NOBODY; and EVERYBODY. No single person, company, organization or country can claim ownership of the Internet. So if you’ve paid for an Internet connection consider yourself a shareholder. The Internet is more of a concept than an actual tangible entity. It relies on a physical infrastructure that connects networks to other networks. The physical network that carries Internet traffic between different computer systems is the internet backbone. Today, several companies provide the routers and cables that enable us to connect to the Internet. These companies are called “Internet Service Providers“, they are your gateway to access the information within the web, but they are not the owners. No one controls or manages the flow of data in the Internet. There are organization that are in charge of setting web standards (W3C) and allocating IP Addresses and Domain names (ICANN). These organizations make sure that standards are met and devices are allocated a unique identifier to avoid conflict.
The emergence and popularity of social media has drastically changed the entire internet, users create profiles and others use those profiles to make money. The Internet might be a nightmare for some people but it is actually a great place for hackers.
Ousman Faal [Digital Vigilante] is a Tech Entrepreneur & Digital Skills Trainer who teaches both in the classroom and online. He has experience in various technologies and likes sharing it with others. Ousman has published 149 articles on this blog. He is the CEO of Faalen Technologies and Skills.gm.