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 2023

Our roadmap for tackling the threats and challenges for today’s Internet as we look to grow and strengthen it for future generations.

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Impact Report 2022

In a year of upheaval, the Internet connected us to reliable information, social connection, and opportunity. Find out how we addressed threats and connected underserved populations.

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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.

Global Internet Report (GIR)

From trust to consolidation, access to sustainability, a deep look at the forces shaping our digital future.

Policy Briefs

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

Internet Impact Brief: 2021 Indian Intermediary Guidelines and the Internet Experience in India

This report uses the Internet Impact Assessment Toolkit to assess how the 2021 Indian Intermediary Guidelines may affect the global Internet by impacting what the Internet needs to thrive as ...

Internet Impact Brief: Canada’s Proposed Online Harms Legislation and the Internet

This report uses the Internet Impact Assessment Toolkit (IIAT) to assess how the Canada’s proposed online harms bill may affect the global Internet by impacting what the Internet needs to ...

Internet Impact Brief: Technical Architecture of the GAIA-X Project

This report uses the Internet Impact Assessment Toolkit (IIAT) to assess how the GAIA-X concepts may affect the global Internet by impacting what the Internet needs to thrive as an ...

Measuring the Impact of Local IXPs

How do local Internet exchanges affect Asia-Pacific? Internet exchange point hubs are increasingly playing a critical role in making local Internet faster and more affordable. So how does the ...

Factsheet: How Encryption Can Protect Advocacy Groups and Social Change Movements

Encryption is a tool designed to help Internet users keep their online data and communications private and secure. It plays a critical role in protecting day-to-day digital activities like ...

Internet Impact Brief: Revised Directive on Security of Network and Information (NIS2) – Presidency Compromise Proposal September 2021

This report uses the Internet Impact Assessment Toolkit (IIAT) to assess how the Presidency compromise proposal from 21 September 2021 may affect the global Internet by impacting what the Internet ...

Reimagining the Summit on Community Networks in Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic

With almost half the world’s population offline and left out, there has been one clear lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic. Access to affordable Internet connectivity and digital ...

Security Through Encryption and Despite Encryption: An (un)Achievable Outcome?

On 16 June 2021 we organised a roundtable to explore in greater detail how to apply the European Council’s position on encryption, following its November 2020 Resolution; “Security through encryption ...

Internet Governance in the Middle East and North Africa

The Internet is a ‘network of networks’ made up of tens of thousands of networks that interconnect and route traffic efficiently between end points. While the interconnections and routing of ...

Moving Toward an Interconnected Africa: The 80/20 Initiative

In 2010, the Africa Internet technical community embraced an ambitious vision to have 80% of all Internet traffic locally accessible with only 20% being sourced internationally by 2020.

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Effective IXP strategies for the Asia-Pacific

In partnership with the Asia Pacific Internet Exchange Association (APIX), we set out to explore how different exchanges fit into their local environment to find best strategies and approaches they ...

The Economic Impact of Laws that Weaken Encryption

Editor's note: The full report and the extracted executive summary are available in pdf format in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Japanese.

Archives

Introduction to DNS Privacy

Almost every time we use an Internet application, it starts with a Domain Name System (DNS) transaction to map a human-friendly domain name into a set of IP addresses that ...

IPv6 Security Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Internet Society recognises that global deployment of the IPv6 protocol is paramount to accommodate the present and future growth of the Internet. Given the scale at which IPv6 must ...

10 Goals for Good Privacy Protection Law

The concept of digital “privacy” refers to an individual’s right to determine when, how, and to what extent their personal data can be shared. Privacy is essential to our ability ...

9 Steps Companies Must Take to Ensure Data Privacy

Many Internet companies have extraordinary access to individuals’ personal data – their actions, their friends, their preferences, their interests – and their most intimate secrets. These companies should handle this ...

2018 Email Marketing & Unsubscribe Audit

The 2018 Email Marketing & Unsubscribe Audit found that the vast majority of audited online retailers have embraced unsubscribe best practices, going beyond mere compliance, and have shown continued improvement ...

Best Practices: Email Unsubscribe

Email is a vibrant channel for marketers to connect with consumers on many fronts, providing an important value exchange between consumers and industry. Marketing emails can range from promotional offers ...

The Internet Society Survey on Policy Issues in Asia-Pacific 2018

This year’s survey focuses on the security and privacy of the Internet of Things (IoT)—the rapidly expanding network of devices, physical objects, services and applications that communicate over the Internet ...

Routing Security for Policymakers

Although unseen to the average user, Internet Protocol (IP) routing underpins the Internet. By ensuring that packets[1] go where they are supposed to, routing[2] has a central role in the ...

The Internet and Extra-Territorial Effects of Laws

How to avoid rule-setting and decision-making that will constrain the Internet around the world
The Internet is global, so regulations and court decisions that affect it may have extra-territorial[1] effects ...

ITU Plenipotentiary 2018 – Issues Matrix

This chart identifies issues, areas of concern, organizations impacted, etc., on a best-effort basis. Suggestions to improve this work are welcome. The Internet Society has analysed outcomes of the 2018 ...

Top Tips for Consumers: Internet of Things Security and Privacy

1. Learn how to “shop smart” for connected devices. You don’t want to have to return a connected device because it is spying on you. Returning things is a pain ...

Internet Crossing Borders: Boosting the Internet in Landlocked Developing Countries

Please note that this is NOT the full report, but the Executive Summary with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan Case Studies. The full report will be ready soon, stay tuned for the ...

Organization Reports

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

See the Reports