ICANN was created in 1998 to coordinate the Internet’s domain-name system.
ICANN stands for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. It is a nonprofit public-benefit corporation responsible for coordinating key parts of the Internet’s unique identifier system, including domain names and IP address allocation policies. It was incorporated in California on September 30, 1998.
Before ICANN, many central coordination duties were handled under arrangements involving the United States government and organizations associated with Jon Postel’s Internet Assigned Numbers Authority. ICANN was established during the privatization of the domain-name system’s management.
ICANN does not run the Internet, provide ordinary web access, or decide what websites people may publish. The Internet Engineering Task Force develops many technical protocols, while the World Wide Web Consortium develops web standards. ICANN’s particular role concerns identifiers that must remain globally unique, such as top-level domains and IP address registries.