Internetten

Internetten is the global system of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link devices worldwide. It enables a wide range of services, including the World Wide Web, email, file transfer, and streaming media. In Norwegian and Danish usage, the definite form of the word is internettet.

Internetten originated in the United States with ARPANET in the late 1960s. The adoption of TCP/IP as a common protocol in 1983 unified disparate networks. The World Wide Web, created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989–1990, popularized linked information and services. From the 1990s onward, commercial networks and mobile connectivity spurred rapid growth, and by the 2020s the Internet reached billions of users worldwide.

Technically, the Internet is built on a layered, packet-switched architecture. Core components include IP addressing, routing, and the Domain Name System (DNS). End users access resources through Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and applications such as web browsers and email clients.

It supports communication, information access, commerce, education, and entertainment, while raising concerns about privacy, security, and misinformation. The Internet also highlights issues of digital inclusion and unequal access between regions and populations.

Governance relies on international standards bodies such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and ICANN for domain names, supplemented by national laws and regulatory frameworks on privacy, competition, and cybersecurity.