The Secrets Behind how the Internet Works
Summary
TLDRThis ColdFusion video delves into the origins and evolution of the Internet, starting from ARPANET in 1969 to the modern-day World Wide Web. It explores the physical infrastructure, including undersea cables, and the organizations like ICANN that govern it. The video also discusses the Internet's impact on society, the challenges of misinformation and echo chambers, and the potential future with 5G and the implications of Article 13 on content sharing.
Takeaways
- 🌐 The Internet began in 1969 with ARPANET, funded by the US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), which aimed to connect computers across universities.
- 🌟 Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web at CERN, creating a way to access information via the Internet, distinct from the Internet's infrastructure.
- 🌍 The modern Internet is a vast network of interconnected points, with approximately 420 undersea cables spanning over 1.1 million kilometers as of 2017.
- 🚧 The process of laying undersea Internet cables involves ships pulling cables across oceans, with sea plows creating trenches for the cables to be buried by natural ocean currents.
- 🛠️ Despite the physical vulnerability of undersea cables, the Internet's robustness is ensured by multiple routes, making it nearly impossible to disrupt entirely by severing a single cable.
- 🌐 The Internet is decentralized, with no single government or entity owning it, but governments can regulate access through laws affecting Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
- 🔑 In 2016, the US government transferred the ownership of the Internet's domain name database to ICANN, promoting a more community-driven approach to Internet governance.
- 🔒 ICANN manages the Domain Name System (DNS), ensuring that web addresses correctly resolve to their intended destinations, and performs ceremonies to renew the DNS's security.
- 🚀 The Internet's future includes advancements like 5G, which promises significant increases in speed, although concerns about its safety and health effects have been raised.
- 📉 The European Union's Article 13, a controversial copyright law, has sparked debates on its potential impact on content sharing and the livelihood of small independent creators.
Q & A
What was the initial purpose of ARPANET, the precursor to the modern Internet?
-ARPANET, funded by the US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), was initially developed to connect computers across a few universities for communication and research purposes.
Who is credited with the invention of the World Wide Web, and what was his primary motivation?
-Sir Tim Berners-Lee is credited with inventing the World Wide Web. His primary motivation was to address the incompatibility of different networks and systems at CERN, creating a uniform and usable system for accessing information via the Internet.
How does the Internet infrastructure physically connect different countries?
-The Internet infrastructure physically connects different countries through a network of approximately 420 undersea cables spanning over 1.1 million kilometers as of 2017, which are laid by ships and buried by ocean currents on the sea floor.
What are some of the challenges faced by undersea Internet cables?
-Undersea Internet cables face challenges such as vulnerability to damage from ship anchors, natural disasters, and uneven sea floor conditions that can leave them exposed. Repairs are constantly carried out to address severed cables.
How does the Internet remain functional even if one cable is cut?
-The Internet remains functional even if one cable is cut due to its decentralized nature and the presence of multiple redundant routes for data traffic, making it nearly impossible to disable the Internet by severing a single cable.
Who owns the Internet, and how is it governed?
-The Internet is decentralized, meaning no single government or body owns or controls it. However, governments can regulate access through laws affecting ISPs. Organizations like ICANN manage critical aspects like the DNS, ensuring the Internet's safe and open operation.
What is the role of ICANN in the governance of the Internet?
-ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is responsible for managing the domain name system (DNS), ensuring that web addresses correctly resolve to their intended destinations and maintaining the security and stability of the Internet.
What is the significance of the 'key ceremony' mentioned in the script?
-The 'key ceremony' is a secure process where a group of trusted community members renew and insure the DNS system for the next three months. It involves the use of a master key controlled by seven smart cards, emphasizing the importance of security and redundancy in Internet governance.
How has the Internet impacted society, both positively and negatively?
-The Internet has positively impacted society by providing a platform for creators, artists, and journalists, and enabling rapid information sharing. Negatively, it has contributed to misinformation, echo chambers, and changes in societal structure, as discussed in the video 'The Death of Facebook'.
What are some of the anticipated developments in the future of the Internet?
-The future of the Internet includes advancements such as 5G technology, which promises at least a tenfold increase in speed, and the potential impact of regulations like Article 13 on content sharing and creation.
What is Article 13, and why has it been a point of controversy?
-Article 13 is a controversial copyright law approved by the European Union, which has raised concerns about its potential to impact content sharing and the livelihood of small independent creators on the Internet.
Outlines
🌐 The Birth and Growth of the Internet
This paragraph delves into the origins of the Internet, tracing it back to 1969 with the US Defense Department's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA). It discusses the development of ARPANET, which initially connected computers across universities and eventually evolved into the modern Internet. The narrative then shifts to Sir Tim Berners-Lee's invention of the World Wide Web at CERN, highlighting the distinction between the Internet and the Web. Berners-Lee's decision not to patent his invention is noted, emphasizing his contribution to the democratization of the Internet. The paragraph also covers the physical infrastructure of the Internet, including the history of undersea cables dating back to 1854 and the current global network of approximately 420 cables spanning over 1.1 million kilometers. It discusses the process of laying these cables and the potential vulnerabilities they face, such as damage from ship anchors or natural disasters. Despite these risks, the redundancy in the system ensures the Internet's resilience. The paragraph concludes with a reflection on the decentralized nature of Internet ownership and the role of organizations like ICANN in managing critical aspects like the Domain Name System (DNS).
🔐 Governance and Security of the Internet
The second paragraph focuses on the governance and security measures that underpin the Internet. It introduces ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, as a not-for-profit organization responsible for managing the DNS. The paragraph describes the quarterly 'ritual' performed by a group of trusted community members to renew the DNS system, emphasizing the high level of security involved, including guards, safes, and alarms. It details the complex key management system involving seven smart cards and the necessity of at least five trusted members to generate the master key. The paragraph also touches on other organizations contributing to Internet standards and safety, such as the Internet Engineering Task Force and the World Wide Web Consortium. It discusses the dual impact of the Internet on society, highlighting both the ease of access to information and the potential for misinformation and echo chambers. The paragraph concludes with a call to responsibility, urging users to harness the Internet's power constructively.
🚀 The Future of the Internet
The final paragraph looks ahead to the future of the Internet, predicting faster connectivity with the advent of 5G technology. It addresses concerns about the safety of 5G, comparing the frequencies used to the international limits, and notes the expected increase in speed. The paragraph also mentions the European Union's controversial Article 13 copyright law, discussing its potential impact on content sharing and creation, and the role of public debate in shaping such legislation. It concludes by emphasizing the collective responsibility of Internet users in shaping the future of the Internet, suggesting that its evolution will be determined by how it is used and governed by the majority.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Internet
💡ARPANET
💡World Wide Web (WWW)
💡Cables
💡ICANN
💡Domain Name System (DNS)
💡Satellites
💡5G
💡Article 13
💡Echo Chamber Effect
💡Decentralized
Highlights
The Internet revolutionized humanity and is perhaps the greatest tool ever built.
ARPANET, funded by the US Defense Department, laid the groundwork for modern internet communication.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, which sits on top of the Internet's infrastructure.
The Internet is a decentralized network; no single government or entity owns it.
ICANN manages the domain name system, ensuring the accuracy of web addresses.
The Internet is physically connected by approximately 420 undersea cables spanning over 1.1 million kilometers.
Cable laying is a complex engineering process involving ships and sea plows.
Damaged undersea cables can disrupt internet service, as seen in 2008 with India and Egypt experiencing outages.
Satellites play a crucial role in beaming internet access from the sky.
Internet access is still growing, with only about half of the world's population currently connected.
Governments can control their citizens' internet access through laws affecting ISPs.
The Internet Engineering Task Force and the World Wide Web Consortium set standards and protocols for the internet.
The Internet has both positive and negative impacts, influencing how society functions.
5G is expected to increase internet speeds by at least tenfold, with some concerns about its safety.
Article 13, a controversial EU copyright law, may affect how content is shared and produced online.
The future of the Internet is in the hands of its users, who shape its evolution and use.
Transcripts
hi welcome to another ColdFusion video
there's no question that the Internet
has revolutionized humanity it is
perhaps the greatest tool we have ever
built for better or for us but how does
it work who owns it where is the
internet and who makes sure it keeps on
running today let's explore the Internet
its pioneers the organizations that keep
it running its present and its future
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the revolution begins in 1969 during
this time the US Defense Department had
a branch called the Advanced Research
Projects Agency or Appa Appa funded
researchers developed many of the
technologies used for internet
communication today at first they
connected computers across a few
universities and called it ARPANET and
over the next few years
ARPANET grew connecting more and more
computers and eventually inspiring the
modern Internet 20 years later English
computer scientist Sir Tim berners-lee
was working at CERN in Geneva he was
hired to fix the mess that grew out of
the incompatibility of different
networks and cern system his solution
was the World Wide Web
although the Internet and the web are
often used as synonyms they are not the
same thing the Internet is the
infrastructure of the network while the
web stats on top of this and is
essentially a way to access information
via the Internet Tim berners-lee
invented the core on which most websites
work he allowed the Internet to become
uniform and usable yet he never patented
his idea one can only imagine the riches
he gave up in order to allow for his
invention to flourish the modern
Internet is now a huge array of
interconnected points across the globe
so the question must be asked how
exactly it does the internet connect us
all together while cables span across
entire oceans to connect countries this
isn't a new idea as we've been laying
cables since 1854 when construction
began on the first transatlantic
telegram cable the process is a
surprisingly simple engineering feat for
incredible complex technology each cable
consists of nothing more than some
optical fibres wrapped in materials for
protection globally approximately 420
cables have been laid spanning over 1.1
million kilometers as of 2017
so here's how it works a ship pulls a
cable from one country to another and
then on the sea floor cable is laid by
sea plows and dig a little trench for
the cables to fall into eventually
natural ocean currents bury the cable if
the ground is uneven however the cable
is unburied and vulnerable to damage
from ship anchors and other natural
disasters in 2008 one such disruption
happened due to cable damage about 60%
of India and 70% of Egypt's Internet
services to a briefly cut with this
being said damaged cables are not
uncommon repairs are constantly carried
out on severed cables around the world
but really it is interesting to think of
how physically vulnerable the Internet
is of course there are so many other
routes for traffic to take that is
almost nearly impossible to kill the
Internet by just cutting off one cable
especially in more recent times since
satellites now circle the earth beaming
down the internet from the skies after
their path across the sea there are
systems of cables spanning across your
country leading right up to your door
that is if you're lucky and live in a
place wealthy enough and populated
enough to allow for a cable connection
to the internet as a whole the internet
is still growing and about half of
everyone that lives on earth has access
to it so we still have yet to see what
the internet evolves into by the time
mass adoption reaches saturation so who
owns the Internet well technically no
one and everyone the internet itself is
an autonomous interconnection of various
voluntary networks it's decentralized so
no one government or body owns or
controls the Internet however
governments have the ability to control
their citizens access to the Internet
via laws that impact the Internet
service providers or ISPs of that nation
for example China restricts its citizens
from accessing YouTube in 2016 the US
government officially handed over the
ownership of the database which holds
the domain names of the Internet to a
body called ICANN or the Internet
Corporation for Assigned Names and
numbers these guys have been overseeing
this database for the last 20 years this
meant that we reached a point where the
ownership was given back to the people
I can is an independent body which is
comprised of a multi-stakeholder
community this means that I can tries to
consult the internet community about
changes and at least tries to be as open
and as transparent as possible so it's
unlikely that you've ever heard of I can
but the nonprofit organization performs
one of the most important rituals to
keep the internet safe they manage the
domain name system or DNS ICANN the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names
and numbers which basically assigns web
addresses the california-based
organization is technically a
not-for-profit but it has one of the
biggest jobs in governing the internet
to manage the domain name system or DNS
this means that when you type in WWE
Google com the response you receive is
from Google and not a fake version of
Google created by a nine trillion prints
or other scammer every three months a
group of trusted community members
gather to perform a ritual which will
renew and insure the DNS system for the
next three months the ceremony is
recorded with tight security such as
guards
safes cages and alarms in fact the
alarms are so sensitive that at one
ceremony a slamming door set off the
seismic sensor locking people into one
of the cages an evacuation had to be
triggered to release them the master key
is stored in a cryptographic device this
device if dropped or tampered with will
erase all of its contents fragments of
keys are distributed among the trusted
members ensuring that no one person can
create the master key this requires the
presence of at least five of these
people to come together to do so at the
heart of this new system lies one master
key that key is controlled by seven
smart cards locked in one of two high
security deposit boxes one on the East
Coast one on the west the keys to those
boxes are scattered around the world in
the hands of two groups of seven online
security experts this is just one
organization that helps make sure the
internet runs smoothly but they're not
the only ones there's a host of others
such as the internet Engineering Task
Force and the World Wide Web Consortium
run by none other than Tim berners-lee
these organizations set the standards
make the protocols and ensure that the
Internet is safe and open
it's undeniable that the Internet has
changed our life forever it has taken
over so many facets of our lives it's
allowed people to carry around every
encyclopedia in the world just in the
palm of their hand I wonder how many
people have used Google to solve
arguments but with massive information
also Karma's massive misinformation it's
much easier now for people to use
confirmation bias to validate their own
point of view leading to the infamous
echo chamber effect the use of social
media has also drastically changed our
lives it's been said to be tearing apart
the actual foundational fabric of how
society functions I've discussed this
all much further in my video the death
of Facebook and I'll leave a link for
that below and at the end of this video
so of course the Internet has some
negative aspects almost any technology
does and this is because human nature is
to blame for the way we use the tools we
make not the tools themselves with that
being said the internet also has many
positives the Internet has given
creators artists journalists and many
others a platform that would otherwise
just not exist your favorite youtubers
wouldn't be able to make their videos
without the internet Michael from Vsauce
has an old and still running segment
called do you online now guys or dongs
this series were simply lists of amazing
things that you can do on the Internet
it's one of the oldest serious that's
around but the great thing about it is
that it still captures the original
wonder of the Internet interesting
topics organically trend and more people
view things that are generally
interesting this is very unlikely to
happen in the old world where you'll
stumble across an interesting topic and
a rigid magazine on newspaper and will
just be for you you couldn't share it
instantly and discuss it and develop a
rapid wider community around it a rate
of spread a magnitude of reach of
information that was only once possible
if you owned a whole media outlet for a
country is now to some extent possible
by anyone with an internet connection
and a potent message you can look at the
French yellow vest protest that had
gained momentum after an online petition
the WikiLeaks revelations that have
gripped the attention of much of the
world so it comes down to this the
Internet is an immensely powerful tool
but we have to use a right so how will
the Internet evolve
well for starters it's going to get
faster 5g is set to yield at least a
tenfold increase in speed
there are some scientists and political
figures who are questioning the safety
of 5g these concerns arise from the high
frequencies associated with a high data
transfer speeds however the frequencies
produced by 5g are an order of magnitude
less than the current international
limit of 300 gigahertz 5g is set to
arrive somewhere in 2019 or 2020
depending on which country you live in
perhaps the most uncertain part of the
Internet's future is article 13 the
European Union has recently approved a
controversial copyright law called
article 13 as I discussed in my earlier
video at the end of the Internet there
are concerns that this new law may have
a radical impact on the way that we
share and produce content if the law
passed by a sizable majority however on
the question of debating amendments five
Swedish MEP members accidentally press
the wrong button
meaning no debates and the vote was
binding while the law has been amended
since 2018 to exclude memes from its
scope
people still have fears that these laws
will kill small independent creators and
cause massive undesired side effects at
the end of the day we are the majority
we are in control and the Internet is
what we make it
isn't that just about wraps up our look
at the Internet I hope you learned
something about how the internet works
it controls her and its possible future
thanks for watching if you've just
stumbled across this channel feel free
to subscribe this has been - go go
you've been watching cold fusion and
I'll see you again soon for the next
video cheers guys have a good one
cold fusion you thinking
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