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<body class='hmmessage'><div dir='ltr'><div>For those who have been following the debate, this gives the basics. </div><div><br></div><div>When you want to visit a website, you type or paste the site’s domain name into </div><div>your browser, or click on an html link.</div><div>That domain name is sent to a server which translates the name into a series of numbers </div><div>– the Internet Protocol or IP Address - which the server uses to direct your request to </div><div>the website’s physical location. This all happens in the blink of an eye.</div><div>Those names and numbers are called “unique identifiers” and are aligned with a </div><div>standard set of protocol parameters that ensure computers can talk to and understand </div><div>each other. </div><div>These are part of the IANA functions, which are managed by ICANN, the Internet </div><div>Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.</div><div>These functions aren’t just limited to browsing the Internet - they also enable you to send </div><span style="font-size: 12pt;">an email or backup photos to the cloud, amongst other tasks.</span><div><br></div><div>http://www.icann.org/en/about/agreements/iana/functions-basics-07apr14-en.pdf</div> </div></body>
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