| | The '''Internet''' is a global network of interconnected smaller [[computer]] networks. Although many people use term "Internet" and "[[World Wide Web]]" interchangeably, the two terms are not equivalent in meaning. The Internet and the Web are separate, but related, entities. The Internet is a massive network of networks, connecting millions of computers together globally, forming a network. On the Internet, a computer can communicate with any other computer, as long as both computers are connected to the Internet. (The World Wide Web is the collection of webpages, images, etc. which form the vast array of websites on the Internet.) | | The '''Internet''' is a global network of interconnected smaller [[computer]] networks. Although many people use term "Internet" and "[[World Wide Web]]" interchangeably, the two terms are not equivalent in meaning. The Internet and the Web are separate, but related, entities. The Internet is a massive network of networks, connecting millions of computers together globally, forming a network. On the Internet, a computer can communicate with any other computer, as long as both computers are connected to the Internet. (The World Wide Web is the collection of webpages, images, etc. which form the vast array of websites on the Internet.) |
| − | Data is transmitted between computers and networks in small packets using the Internet Protocol (IP); they are reassembled at their destination. The Internet originated in work that was funded by the Advanced Research Projects Administration (ARPA), a research funding arm of the [[Department of Defense]]. | + | Whether the internet has an overall [[conservative]] or [[liberal]] influence is debatable. The way that the internet enables people to circumvent [[liberal censorship]] is obviously good. But there is much that is bad about the internet also. |
| | {{before on after|2017|12|31|It is estimated that there are about 3.5 billion people currently connected to the internet.|It is estimated that there are about 3.5 billion people currently connected to the internet.|By the end of 2016, it was estimated that there were about 3.5 billion people connected to the internet.}}<ref>http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2016.pdf Retrieved October 3, 2017</ref> This number has been drastically increasing in recent years. | | {{before on after|2017|12|31|It is estimated that there are about 3.5 billion people currently connected to the internet.|It is estimated that there are about 3.5 billion people currently connected to the internet.|By the end of 2016, it was estimated that there were about 3.5 billion people connected to the internet.}}<ref>http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2016.pdf Retrieved October 3, 2017</ref> This number has been drastically increasing in recent years. |