Aficionados① and promoters of the Internet often claim that the Internet is governed by no one， and indeed cannot be governed， and that it is inherently② above and beyond the law. In fact， the Internet is tied into a complex web of governing bodies， national legislatures， and international professional societies. There is no one governing body that controls activity on the Internet. Instead， there are several organizations that influence the system and monitor its operations. Among the governing bodies of the Internet are：
The Internet Architecture Board (IAB)， which helps define the overall structure of the Internet.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)， which assigns IP addresses， and the Internet Network Information Center (InterNIC)， which assigns domain names.The Internet Engineering Steering Group (IESG)， which oversees standard setting with respect to the Internet.
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)， which forecasts the next step in the growth of the Internet， keeping watch over its evolution③ and operation.
The Internet Society (ISOC)， which is a consortium④ of corporations， government agencies， and nonprofit organizations that monitors Internet policies and practices.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)， which sets HTML and other programming standards for the Web.
While none of these organizations has actual control over the Internet and how it functions， they can and do influence government agencies， major network owners， ISPs， corporations， and software developers with the goal of keeping the Internet operating asefficiently as possible.
In addition to these professional bodies， the Internet must also conform to the laws of the sovereign nation-states in which it operates， as well as the technical infrastructures⑤ that exist within the nation-state. Although in the early years of the Internet and the Web there was very little legislative or executive interference， this situation will change in the near future as the Internet plays a growing role in the distribution of information and knowledge， including content that some find objectionable.
① aficionadon.［西］……狂，……迷
② inherentlyadv. 天性地，固有地
③ evolution n. 发展，进展[U]
④ consortium n. 合伙，联合
⑤ infrastructure n. 公共建设(如铁路、公路、下水道等)；基础建设
谁统治因特网
因特网的热爱者和促进者时常宣称因特网没有被任何人统治，也的确不能被统治，而且还宣称它天生高于法律。事实上，因特网被连入了由管理机构、国家立法机构和国际专业协会织成的一张复杂的网之中。没有一个管理机构可以控制因特网上的活动，而是有几个组织影响它的系统、监测它的运行。在因特网管理机构中有：
因特网架构委员会(IAB)帮助定义因特网的总体结构。
因特网域名与地址管理委员会(ICANN)分配IP地址；和因特网网络信息中心(InterNIC)分配域名。
因特网工程指导组(IESG)监督有关因特网的标准设定。
因特网工程任务组(IETF)预测因特网成长的下一步，监视它的进化和运行。
因特网协会(ISOC)是一个公司、政府机关以及监测因特网政策与实践的非营利性组织的联盟。
万维网联合会(W3C)为万维网设定HTML和其他编程标准。
尽管这些组织中没有一个能真正控制因特网及其如何运行，他们可以就保持因特网尽可能高效运行的目标影响政府机关、主要网络拥有者、公司、因特网服务提供商和软件开发者。
除了这些专业团体，因特网还必须符合所在的主权民族国家的法律，和这个民族国家存在的技术基础。虽然因特网和万维网在早年很少受到司法与或行政干涉，这种情形在不久的将来就会改变，因为因特网在传播信息和知识方面扮演越来越重要的角色，包括一些有人反对的内容。