ICANN Snapshot
Can anyone manage the Internet? This group says "ICANN." The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is a not-for-profit organization responsible for the management of the Internet's domain name system (DNS), allocation of Internet protocol (IP) addresses, and assignment of protocol parameters. The DNS allows people to type in an address like "www.hoovers.com" rather than the string of numbers that represents the underlying IP address. Internet users register domain names ending in .com, .org, and .net, among others, through ICANN-accredited DNS registrars.