- All
- Critical internet resources
- Cybersecurity
- Critical infrastructure
- Cyberconflict and warfare
- Cybercrime
- E-commerce and trade
- Digital cooperation
- Key Internet developments
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- TCP/IP meets ARPANET
The Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), developed in the 1970s, is adopted as the sole protocol standard for the US government-sponsored Advanced Research Project Agency Network (ARPANet). ARPANet evolves into what is known today as the internet.
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- Establishment of IETF
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is established to coordinate the operation, management, and evolution of the internet.
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- The World Wide Web becomes public domain
In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web (www) while working at CERN. On 30 April 1993, CERN puts the www software in the public domain, and later makes a release available with an open licence, paving the way for the web to flourish.
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- Amazon was founded
In 1994, Jeff Bezos incorporated Cadabra Inc. which he later renamed Amazon. Amazon.com went online in 1995. It started as an online bookstore and later diversified to become the electronic commerce and cloud computing company it is today.
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- Google is born
Larry Page and Sergey Brin incorporated Google on 4 September 1998.
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- Establishment of ICANN
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is established to coordinate main internet technical resources. Until September 2016, ICANN was mandated by the United States Department of Commerce to perform the IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) functions, including globally alocating Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and other numbering resources to the Regional Internet Registers (See more)
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- Cybersecurity at the United Nations
Cybersecurity/information security makes it to the agenda of the UN in 1998, when the Russian Federation introduces a draft resolution in the First Committee of the UN General Assembly. The resolution is adopted without a vote. Later on, several intergovernmental processes – six Groups of Governmental Experts and two Open-Ended Working Groups – are established (See more)
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- WTO E-Commerce Moratorium
The World Trade Organization (WTO) adopts the Declaration on Global Electronic Commerce introducing a moratorium on duties in global e-commerce. This moratorium has been extended ever since.
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- Decision to organise WSIS
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference held in November 1998 in Minneapolis puts the basis of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). Adopted at the conference, Resolution 73: – Instructs the ITU Secretary-General ‘to place the question of holding a world summit on the information society on the agenda of the United (See more)
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- Wikipedia is born
Wikipedia was initially conceived as a feeder project for Nupedia, an earlier free Web-based encyclopedia. There was considerable resistance on the part of Nupedia’s editors and reviewers to associate Nupedia with a wiki-style website. They decided to give the new project its own name, and thus on Monday 15th January 2001, Wikipedia launched on its (See more)
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- Budapest Convention on Cybercrime signed
On 23 November 2001, the Convention on Cybercrime was signed by the member States of the Council of Europe and other states, in Budapest.
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- UN General Assembly endorses the holding of WSIS
In June 2001, the ITU Council endorses the ITU Secretary-General’s proposal to hold WSIS in two phases, in 2003 and 2005. Later in the year, the UN General Assembly, through Resolution 56/183, also endorses the holding of WSIS in two phases. It invites the ITU to ‘assume the leading managerial role’ in preparing WSIS. It (See more)
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- WSIS, Geneva Phase
The first phase of WSIS, held in Geneva, finalises with the adoption of two documents: the Geneva Declaration of Principles, which underlines a set of principles to form the basis of an inclusive and global information society, and the Geneva Plan of Action, which contains several objectives and action lines related to bridging the digital (See more)
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- Facebook is born. The era of social networking begins.
Facebook is born. The era of social networking begins. The Facebook website was launched on 4 February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, along with fellow Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes.
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- First UN GGE convened to examine the impact of ICT on security
In 2004, the first UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) was convened to examine the impact of developments in ICT on national security and military affairs, as requested by the UN General Assembly in a December 2003 resolution. Six GGEs have been convened over the years – in 2004/2005, 2009/2010, 2012/2013, 2014/2015, 2016/2017, and 2019/2021. (See more)
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- YouTube is born
PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim created a video-sharing website where users could upload, share and view content. YouTube was activated on 14 February 2005.
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- Report of the Working Group on Internet Governance
After several meetings in 2004 and 2005, the Working Group on Internet Governance issues its report which: (a) proposes a working definition for internet governance; (b) identifies public policy issues that are relevant to internet governance; and (c) explores the roles and responsibilities of various actors (governments, the private sector, civil society, as well as (See more)
