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ICANN
icann.org › resources › pages › what-2012-02-25-en
What Does ICANN Do? - ICANN
It is these contracts that provide a consistent and stable environment for the domain name system, and hence the Internet. In summary then, the DNS provides an addressing system for the Internet so people can find particular websites. It is also the basis for email and many other online uses. ... ICANN plays a similar administrative role with the IP addresses used by computers as it does with the domain names used by humans.
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ICANN
icann.org › en › beginners
ICANN for Beginners
November 18, 2022 - IP addresses can be difficult to remember, so instead of numbers, the Internet’s Domain Name System uses letters, numbers, and hyphens to form a name that is easier to remember. What Does ICANN Do? ICANN’s mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet.

organization responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces of the Internet

icann headquarters
icann government advisory committee
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN /ˈaɪkæn/ EYE-kan) is a global multistakeholder group and nonprofit organization headquartered in the United States. Responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Abbreviation ICANN
Founded September 30, 1998; 27 years ago (1998-09-30)
Factsheet
Abbreviation ICANN
Founded September 30, 1998; 27 years ago (1998-09-30)
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › ICANN
ICANN - Wikipedia
4 days ago - The contract regarding the IANA stewardship functions between ICANN and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the United States Department of Commerce ended on October 1, 2016, formally transitioning the functions to the global multistakeholder community. Much of its work has concerned the Internet's global Domain Name System (DNS), including policy development for internationalization of the DNS, introduction of new generic top-level domains (TLDs), and the operation of root name servers; the numbering facilities ICANN manages include the Internet Protocol (IP) address spaces for IPv4 and v6 in addition to the assignment of address blocks to regional Internet registries (RIRs).
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ICANN
icann.org › en › system › files › files › what-icann-does-22jun12-en.pdf pdf
What ICANN Does and Doesn’t Do
What ICANN actually does: ICANN registers domain names, like · example.com or example.net. The vast majority of domain name · registration is done by registrars, most of · which are accredited by ICANN. ICANN is · responsible for coordinating the names ·
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Domain.com
domain.com › what is icann and what do they do?
What is ICANN and What Do They Do? | Domain.com | Blog
September 26, 2024 - ICANN is important because it provides internet security, consistency, and governance. Although ICANN doesn’t directly regulate a website’s content, its policies and coordination with different organizations ensure Internet users have a safe browsing experience.
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Data Foundry
datafoundry.com › home › what is icann and why does it matter?
What Is ICANN and Why Does It Matter? | Data Foundry
April 4, 2024 - It also manages the domain name system and root servers. ICANN currently manages over 180 million domain names and four billion network addresses across 240 countries. It is also important to note that which ICANN does not control, such as content on the Internet, malware or spam and Internet access.
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Network Solutions
networksolutions.com › home › blog › domains & hosting​ › what is icann and what do they do?
What is ICANN and What Do They Do?
August 23, 2025 - ICANN holds significant influence over the management of internet resources, including domain names and IP addresses. Its policies and decisions play a key role in ensuring the stability, security, and coordination of the internet infrastructure.
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TechTarget
techtarget.com › whatis › definition › ICANN-Internet-Corporation-for-Assigned-Names-and-Numbers
What is ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)? - Definition from WhatIs.com
ICANN (Internet Corporation for ... responsibility for Internet Protocol (IP) address space allocation, protocol parameter assignment, domain name system (DNS) management and root server system management functions....
Find elsewhere
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ICANN
atlarge.icann.org › about › what-does-icann-do
What Does Icann Do
Within this ecosystem, ICANN, a non-for-profit, public-benefit corporation formed in 1998, plays a limited, yet unique and critical role -- it coordinates the administration of the Internet’s logistical infrastructure layer that delivers ‘One Internet’ for the world through three sets of unique identifiers:
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IPXO
ipxo.com › blog › what-is-icann
What Is ICANN – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers?
September 9, 2025 - ICANN initially manages the domain name system, root servers and the central repository of IP addresses. It focuses on managing identifiers, or the internet’s unique identifiers (names and addresses), that allow us to locate websites on the ...
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HostAdvice
hostadvice.com › blog › domains › what-is-icann
What Is ICANN & What Does It Do?
February 4, 2025 - Their role is to make sure that domain names are unique and to create policies for internet resources. They work with various parties to regulate the internet and maintain its structure and usability.
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ICANN
icann.org
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
ICANN’s mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet.
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Study.com
study.com › computer science courses › computer science 108: introduction to networking
IANA & ICANN | Definition, History & Functions | Study.com
The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority organizes and assigns unique numerical codes to digital interfaces. The IANA does this through domain name services, number resources, and protocol assignments.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/explainlikeimfive › eli5: how does icann control the internet?
r/explainlikeimfive on Reddit: ELI5: How does ICANN control the internet?
September 11, 2023 -

I read in a military strategic discussion forum that ceding control of the internet to ICANN was a mistake. How does ICANN control the internet?

Top answer
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ICANN is the organisation responsible of issuing names and numbers used on the Internet. Or rather they are responsible for delegating this task to other organisations. So for example in order to communicate with the other computers on the Internet you need an IP address assigned to you. That IP address assignment at some point came from ICANN. In order to host a web site you need a domain name that is unique to you. That domain name assignment eventually came from ICANN. Simply put ICANN is responsible for making sure no two different entities are legally using the same address or name. However saying that ICANN controls the Internet is a bit misleading. ICANN have no legal mandate and can not enforce the names and numbers it assigns. They are basically ruling by consensus as all the ISPs, DNS servers, end users, etc. can chose to follow their assigned numbers or not. There are several examples of people just using an unused name or block of addresses without getting it assigned by ICANN and this becoming so popular that they can not assign it to others without huge technical issues. And we do see several more closed countries liberally violating ICANN assignments in the version of Internet they provide their citizens. ICANN was initially founded by the US government and were therefore legally controlled by the US. However it shifted its funding model from government funding to being funded by the ISPs and other customers. Some of the fee when buying a domain name goes to ICANN. In practice ICANN was not only funded this way but also controlled by these members, although the US government was still technically in charge. What changed was that the US government withdrew from the ownership of ICANN and instead converted it to a non-for-profit organisation. In practice this meant that the ISPs were not officially on the board of executives and not just giving recommendations to the US government which were always followed. From a military strategy point of view this sounds like quite a mistake but that does not take into account the power balance between ICANN, ISPs and various countries. By being in control of ICANN you might technically have some legal control over the Internet. But all the technical implementations are done on a lower level so it is enforced on a lower level. So ICANN might potentially withdraw some assigned names and numbers but there is no guarantee that the ISPs would comply with this. So the amount of control the owner of ICANN have over the Internet is very minimal and of almost no military strategic importance.
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ICANN is responsible for mapping domain names (like reddit.com) to the IP addresses of Reddit's servers. Essentially, ICANN is the one that tells your browser which servers to go to. In theory, ICANN could do things like "take" domains and direct them to other IPs. Essentially, the concern is that this gives ICANN a lot of control over something pretty much everyone on the internet relies on to work. That said, ICANN doesn't control all of the internet. ICANN is just the largest, most popular way to connect to find out where to go for a given website. So, it could really mess with nations by for example redirecting all traffic to a malicious actor. But that would be really easy to find if they did and properly implemented security measures will block most users from being redirected without their knowledge. So, it's more about the disruption to the economy more than anything. It can disrupt military/government operations and cause chaos. But there are contingencies that can be used to keep things working in such a scenario. ICANN doesn't really have world-ending levels of control over the internet.
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Domain Registry
domainregistry.com › home › dot talk: our domains blog › what is icann?
What is ICANN? | Domain Registry
December 8, 2023 - The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is the organization that ensures a stable, secure, and unified global Internet for all of us. Without ICANN, getting a domain name would be a complicated process with little protection ...
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OnlyDomains
onlydomains.com › home › what is icann? the ultimate guide for beginners
What is ICANN?
February 21, 2025 - It doesn’t actually control online content or prevent spam, but it works to make sure the Internet is secure and stable by creating fair policies and administrating the DNS. ICANN’s policies cover the Internet’s ‘unique identifiers’ (aka IP addresses and domain names).
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DreamHost
dreamhost.com › glossary › domains › icann
What Is ICANN? - DreamHost Glossary
May 7, 2025 - ICANN manages the supply of IP addresses in the central repository, which is divided into five Regional Internet Registries around the globe. It does this with the help of the Address Supporting Organization, another ICANN advisory committee ...
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YouTube
youtube.com › watch
What Does ICANN Do? - YouTube
What Does ICANN Do? Animated video explaining what ICANN does, whose involved and how to participate.
Published   April 9, 2013
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ICANN
icann.org › general
ICANN | Archives | ICANN - English
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is an internationally organized, non-profit corporation that has responsibility for Internet Protocol (IP) address space allocation, protocol identifier assignment, generic (gTLD) and country code (ccTLD) Top-Level Domain name system management, and root server system management functions.
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Cooley GO
cooleygo.com › glossary › icann
Definition of ICANN - Cooley GO
September 5, 2023 - ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is a nonprofit organization that administers registries of IP identifiers and DNS registries.