Internet Governance

Row of professional speakers wearing suits and sitting in front of microphones to answer questions from an audience.

Verisign participates actively in the multistakeholder model of internet governance that helps ensure the internet’s stable operation and recognizes the significant impact that policy decisions at all levels can have on its continuing stability, evolution, and growth.

ICANN & the Multistakeholder Model of Internet Governance

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is at the core of multistakeholder governance of key internet functions and technology. ICANN – which oversees the internet’s interconnected network of unique identifiers, including the global Domain Name System – describes the model as one in which “individuals, non-commercial stakeholder groups, industry, and governments play important roles in its community-based, consensus-driven, policy-making approach.” By recognizing the global interests that use and rely on the internet, the multistakeholder approach has fostered the stable and secure growth of the internet into the world’s most important and reliable communications and information resource. Verisign strongly supports this successful multistakeholder approach to internet governance and ICANN’s mission to help protect and evolve a stable, secure, and unified global internet. Verisign regularly participates in the ICANN multistakeholder community and supports ICANN’s community-based, consensus-driven, bottom-up, multistakeholder approach to internet governance.

Other Key Organizations Important to the Multistakeholder Model

IGF

Established in 2005, the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) serves to bring people together from various stakeholder groups as equals, in discussions on public policy issues relating to the Internet. While there are no negotiated outcomes, the multistakeholder engagement at IGF informs and inspires those with policy-making power in both the public and private sectors. The IGF facilitates a common understanding of how to maximize Internet opportunities and address risks and challenges that arise. Verisign supports the IGF, including its global, national, and regional IGF meetings, as valuable opportunities for multistakeholder dialogue impacting Internet policies.

IETF

Founded in 1986, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) develops and establishes the technology standards that help to ensure that the internet remains secure, stable, resilient, and globally interoperable. IETF participation is open to all, and its leaders and participants are volunteers who work together for the advancement of key internet standards. Verisign technologists have been active IETF participants for decades, serving in leadership roles, engaging in IETF working groups, and contributing technologies that have become global internet standards.