Our work aligns with our goals for the Internet to be open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy. We seek collaboration with all who share these goals.
Together, we focus on:
Building and supporting the communities that make the Internet work.
Advancing the development and application of Internet infrastructure, technologies, and open standards.
Advocating for policy that is consistent with our view of the Internet.
Andrew Sullivan,
President and CEO,
Internet Society
Strong encryption protects freedom of expression for groups like human rights activists and journalists and ensures the online safety of vulnerable populations like children.
Each year on Global Encryption Day, we amplify our pro-encryption message with the support of our community and partners like Mozilla, Center for Democracy and Technology, Global Partners Digital, and the Institute for Internet Freedom. With its 75 events spanning five continents, 2023 Global Encryption Day brought awareness about the importance of encryption to millions of people around the world.
When governments shut down the Internet in an attempt to manage issues like civil unrest, the spread of misinformation, or cheating on national exams, it’s the citizens and national economies that suffer the cost.
We created a resource—the Netloss calculator—to estimate the cost of a past shutdown and the probability of a future shutdown in a given country. The NetLoss calculator provides powerful evidence about the devastating economic effects of Internet disruptions. This information can be used by citizens to advocate against shutdowns in their own country and by policymakers to consider the true costs of Internet shutdowns.
Together with our chapters, the Internet Society helped build infrastructure to connect 5,000 people in indigenous communities throughout the Gran Chaco region of South America, a remote region that spans Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil.
We also worked with local partner NANUM Mujeres Conectadas in the Gran Chaco region to develop the digital skills of newly connected women in these communities. Whether it’s to learn about the latest agricultural techniques for more resilient crops or accessing new teaching resources to use in the classroom, these women are now empowered to benefit from the opportunities afforded by the Internet.
All over the world, passionate people are taking local action to protect the Internet against harmful policies and decisions.
We launched a new video series featuring these Internet heroes and their journeys to becoming Internet advocates. From a human rights lawyer in Pakistan to a software engineer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to an academic researcher in Brazil, these Internet heroes and their stories are powerful examples of the positive difference one person can make.
Finding employment after graduation can be a difficult and daunting task, especially as more qualified graduates enter the job market. Many people pursue additional certifications to gain practical experience and to stand out in a crowded field, like the young women in Bolivia, Morocco, Pakistan, and Mali who completed our hands-on computer networking training. A certification in Fundamentals of Digital Deployment of Computer Networks opened doors for these female graduates, leading to better career prospects, internships, and jobs.
The vast and remote nature of Canada’s Northwest Territories makes access to fast, affordable, and reliable Internet a challenge. In fact, communities in this part of North America are among the most underserved in terms of Internet connectivity. In partnership with the National Research Council of Canada, we helped train more than fifty local leaders and community members from Ontario and the Northwest Territories about alternative Internet access solutions. Trainees gained the knowledge, resources, and technical skills needed to create and sustain networks and are now empowered to shape the future of connectivity in their own communities.
Together with our community and partners, we worked to make the Internet more globally connected, open, trustworthy, and secure in countries around the world.
Navy-colored countries are the countries where Internet Society was at work in 2023.
We helped keep Internet users safe by educating policymakers on the critical importance of protecting and promoting strong encryption that ensures the confidentiality and integrity of online communications.
We protected the Internet against decisions that could break it by working with advocates and government officials worldwide to reject any actions that could divide or fragment the Internet.
We fostered network security research and collaboration by bringing together experts to consider the most pressing security challenges facing the Internet at the annual Network and Distributed Systems Security (NDSS) Symposium.
We improved the Internet’s security and trustworthiness by promoting increased routing security alongside a robust community of fellow supporters of Mutually Agreed Norms for Routing Security (MANRS).
We gave the Internet a voice in critical legal cases by leveraging our technical and policymaking expertise to enlighten courts about the potential implications their decisions may have on the Internet.
We helped close the global digital divide by reducing barriers to access so that more people living in rural, remote, and underserved areas can connect to the Internet.
We improved the Internet’s infrastructure by supporting local experts and communities in self-organizing and setting up technologies that improve the quality and lower the cost of Internet access.
We made sure the Internet is more sustainable at a local level by empowering communities to advocate, grow, and maintain local Internet infrastructure and services.
We helped people understand the Internet’s health, availability, and evolution by curating data about its reach, reliability, and resilience on our Internet Society Pulse platform.
It’s thanks to the dedication and support of the Internet Society community, we can make a meaningful impact on the Internet. Our communities’ passion for the Internet as a force for good has a lasting impact, fostering hope and progress for a truly inclusive Internet.
We are excited to share that in 2023, we welcomed over 70 new donors to Internet Society’s community of supporters, and more than 12,800 new members joined our community of supporters.
Together, we are shaping a brighter future.
In 2023, our organization members donated
Organization members are companies, non-profits, academic institutions, and governmental organizations committed to supporting the Internet Society’s mission.
*unaudited results
Meet our dedicated volunteer Board of Trustees, a diverse team of passionate individuals committed to advancing the values and impact of the Internet Society.
Olufunke Baruwa
(Nigeria)
Ramanou Biaou
(Benin)
Brian Haberman
(United States)
Ted Hardie
(Portugal)
Victor Kuarsingh
(United States)
Barry Leiba
(United States)
Luis Martinez
(Mexico)
Charles Mok
(Hong Kong)
Caleb Ogundele
(Nigeria)
Robert Pepper
(United States)
Jon Peterson
(United States)
Andrew Sullivan
(Canada)
Laura Thomson
(United States)
Sagarika Wickramasekera
(Sri Lanka)
We are grateful to our volunteer advisory group leaders and members. The contributions and insights of these groups play a valuable role in advancing the Internet Society’s mission.
Harald Summa, DE-CIX (Chairperson)
Melchior Aelmans, Juniper Networks (Vice Chairperson)
Helen Harris, Amazon (Secretary)
The Internet puts us closer to what we care about the most. It transforms our lives and our society for the better. It gives the gift of opportunity. It is our collective responsibility to preserve and care for it. That way, we can be sure that the Internet remains a sound infrastructure and transformative resource that we can all continue to count on for years to come.
With an astounding 2.6 billion people still unconnected, we need passionate people, creative solutions, and funding to build a healthy, sustainable, and resilient Internet. With your support, we can build a future where access to a robust and secure digital world becomes a fundamental right for all.
You, too, can deliver on the Internet’s promise and help secure its future.
Image copyright (in order of appearance):
© Nyani Quarmyne, © Nyani Quarmyne, © Gustavo Castellanos Echazú, © Gagny Traoré, © Nyani Quarmyne, © Internet Society, © Nyani Quarmyne, © Colnodo,
© Gagny Traoré, © Nyani Quarmyne, © Jennifer Miller, © Gustavo Castellanos Echazú, © Colnodo, © KABORE, © João Paulo de Vasconcelos Aguiar
About The Author
More Stories
Local Infrastructure, Lower Costs: How Peering Is Moving the Needle on Internet Affordability
On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, An Internet for Everyone Must Include Everyone
An Open Fiber Data Standard to Make the Internet for Everyone