The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is the leading Internet standards body. It develops open standards through open processes with one goal in mind: to make the Internet work better. A large open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers, the IETF focuses on the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. The Internet Architecture Board (IAB) and the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) complement the work of the IETF by, respectively, providing long-range technical direction for Internet development and promoting research important to the Internet’s evolution.
Open standards are a cornerstone of the Internet. They are key to allowing devices, services, and applications to work together across a wide and dispersed network of networks. In addition to the standards themselves, the open processes and principles on which they are developed ensure the evolution of Internet technologies that meet the need of the growing number of devices and uses that empower people around the world.
The Internet Society supports the work of these groups through a variety of programs, and provides a corporate home for the IETF LLC, the administrative entity that supports the IETF, the IAB, and the IRTF. [Learn more in RFC 8712.]
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