Why we need your support

In just a few decades, the Internet has grown from a tiny academic experiment to a global network relied on by billions of people every day. The Internet has succeeded because of one visionary decision by the people who invented it—they made the foundational technical specifications (RFCs) freely available for anyone to read. Using those specifications, a pioneering generation of engineers and entrepreneurs created the Internet of today.

Those people and that ethos became the Internet Engineering Task Force, the IETF, and today, 7000 active participants from more than 60 countries continue to produce hundreds of new specifications per year, still freely available. Much of the Internet, from email and domain names to video conferencing and secure messaging, is built—and continues to be built—on IETF specifications.

The IETF is incredibly unique, and could not be created in the Internet ecosystem of today. The IETF allows anyone to participate for free, with no membership required. No company or individual can buy any control of the IETF or its work and decisions are made by participant consensus, not leadership. IETF participants include equipment designers, operational specialists, software engineers, academics, researchers, expert consultants, policy professionals, and more.

IETF specifications are developed in a rigorous process and are robust, truly independent, and work reliably at Internet scale. They have been proven time and again to be immediately usable to build new products and introduce new features that are commercially successful. IETF specifications drive the growth of the global Internet-connected economy.

By supporting the IETF today, you are ensuring a free and open Internet exists tomorrow. Your support will directly help the IETF continue its work and provide the platform IETF participants around the world need to convene and collaborate. It will help ensure a strong, financially stable IETF of the future, working independently and not reliant on any single funding source.

Your support of the IETF will also directly benefit your company and industry. You are protecting your internal business infrastructure, your ability to innovate, and your use of an open Internet for connecting with customers and building partnerships.

Finally, your support will help the global community. With a contribution to the IETF, you are mitigating threats to an open and interconnected world, and ensuring that the benefits of an open Internet are available to the next generation of Internet users and entrepreneurs everywhere. The success of the Internet and those who use it rely on technologies developed in the IETF.

Support the IETF today and be a part of the Internet’s future success.