The Internet is the world’s largest computer network. It links computer terminals together via wires or telephone lines in a web of networks and shared software. With the proper equipment, an individual can access vast amounts of information and search databases on various computers connected to the Internet, or communicate with someone located anywhere in the world as long as he or she has the proper equipment.

Originally created in the late 1960s by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to share information with other researchers, the Internet expanded immensely when scientists and academics using the network discovered its great value. Despite its origin, however, the Internet is not owned or funded by the U.S. government or any other organization or institution. A group of volunteers, the Internet Society, addresses such issues as daily operations and technical standards.