16 Nov 2025 Communication, language, and the future of the Internet

Theresa Swinehart

When we think about the Internet, it’s easy to focus on what it delivers: instant communication, access to knowledge, or new ways to connect to each other, conduct business, build community, and drive innovation. Despite its wide-ranging impact on our day-to-day lives, we rarely stop to consider what makes it possible. It’s not simply technology that makes the Internet function – there are systems of trust, cooperation, and coordination that keep it working for everyone.

The Internet wasn’t designed to serve a single culture, language, or region. It was built to connect us across the globe and continues to evolve to serve global needs. One important example of this that I discuss in this article relates to language. The Internet has evolved to provide users the ability to fully use their own language online. Not just for reading and writing content, but also the addressing mechanisms that we use to communicate online. Over the years, the Internet has expanded to accept languages and scripts online that were not possible at the time of its inception. This transformation is important for users around the globe, yet many people are unaware that this is or can be available to them.

This evolution is possible because its functioning is anchored in a shared commitment to openness, interoperability, and collaboration, rather than being controlled by a central authority. The Internet’s design and governance is fundamentally open to use and input from anyone, anywhere.

This openness and accessibility is not automatic. It takes effort. It requires investment, cooperation, demand, and a multistakeholder governance model that prioritizes the needs of users everywhere, regardless of location, resources, and language.

At ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, our role is to ensure the stable and secure operation of one of the Internet’s core functions: the Internet’s unique identifier systems, that is, the Internet’s address system, including what is visible to the user, namely the Domain Name System, or DNS. Think of it like the Internet’s phonebook, coordinating the Internet’s naming and numbering.

ICANN’s work impacts how you interact in your own language on the Internet. With the support of our global community of volunteers, we are stewards of the routing functions that every user needs to find websites, send emails, and engage in online life – ideally in their own language, using tools and technologies that reflect their identities and cultures.

The way the Internet is governed matters. It must reflect what is important to users, what is operational, what is feasible, and what enables its continued evolution and supports innovation. And at a time when we see growing digital divides – particularly along language and geographies – our collective challenge is to ensure that the Internet is truly globally interoperable, enables the same experience when online, and works for everyone.

The Multistakeholder Model: A Framework for Preserving One Internet

ICANN operates through what is known as the multistakeholder model. That means that no single entity – whether a government, corporation, or organization – can unilaterally control how the Internet’s address book is governed. Instead, we bring together diverse stakeholders: governments, technical experts, business leaders, civil society, and users, including those from Indigenous and marginalized communities.

This model is one of the most important safeguards we have against the centralization, exclusion, and politicization of the Internet. It ensures that decisions about the Internet’s future are not made behind closed doors. Decisions are made in open, transparent, and participatory ways.

In practical terms, this model has helped maintain a single, interoperable Internet for over three decades. It has enabled global expansion, supported innovation, and fostered a level of trust that is rare in complex, cross-border systems.

The Internet should not be taken for granted. Today, this model is increasingly under pressure. Some question whether it is agile enough to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving digital landscape. Others propose more centralized approaches, arguing that efficiency must take precedence over process.

The real risk, however, is not slowness – it’s fragmentation and disconnect. When decisions about the Internet are made without the voices of those who build its infrastructure or those most impacted by its evolution, the gap between policy and implementation grows. That’s how fragmentation happens. That’s how trust erodes. And that’s how we risk losing the Internet as a unified, global resource. Imagine a world where there isn’t a single Internet. Imagine multiple, what we call “splinternets” – each country, territory, or even company creating its own separate Internet so you can no longer search one, single space. You would need to connect to multiple different networks in order to complete tasks, talk to friends, or look for information. Now imagine each of those networks being governed top-down by governments, companies, or other entities determining how (and if) you can use their network.

Twenty years ago, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) acted as a global roadmap to build “a people-centred, inclusive, and development-orientated Information Society.” One single, interoperable Internet is crucial for this. As we approach the WSIS+20 year review, this issue is more urgent than ever. We have a chance to reaffirm what works to keep the Internet as you know it safe: based on shared responsibility, open coordination, and inclusive governance.

Internationalized Domain Names: Language at the Root

For people to fully interact on and with the Internet, it is critical that they have the ability to use their language and script of choice online, just as they would offline. This is not just about online content. For a full experience, it must include the addressing mechanisms that support communication. Imagine you are an Arab and you write an email in Arabic language but then need to change your input in order to type in the email address using Latin characters. Or receiving a text from a friend in your local script but the links provided are in different scripts. This is why the adoption and expansion of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) are important. These are domain names that may use the different scripts – such as Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, or Devanagari – so that users can access websites and email services in their native languages.

IDNs are especially important in communities where digital literacy is growing and where culture is closely tied to language. By facilitating the use of IDNs, we help enable users engage with the Internet in a way that affirms their identity, respects their heritage, and promotes broader digital access, support, and trust.

On the Internet, there are top-level domains (TLDs), like .com, .org, or .net, that act as the “home” for websites, emails, and other online services. Today, hundreds of these top-level domains are available in different languages using Latin and non-Latin scripts. Unfortunately, adoption is uneven. Many platforms, social networking, and email systems do not recognize, display, and use these domains and email addresses. You may have an email address in your own native script that you are, sadly and frustratingly, not able to use to sign up for an app that cannot “read” or accept your address. This may be due to the lack of Universal Acceptance (UA)-readiness.

That’s why ICANN is investing in outreach, technical support, and collaboration with governments and language communities around the world. We know that language is more than a tool – it’s an essential part of our lives. It must be supported in the digital sphere just as it is in every other domain of public life.

Universal Acceptance: The Gateway to Digital Access

When we discuss inclusion related to the Internet, nowhere is this need for inclusion more visible than in the area of language. Today, billions of people around the world face barriers to full Internet access simply because the digital ecosystem was built with technical limitations – about language, script, and formatting – that does not reflect our global reality.

Most websites, email systems, and applications are still designed primarily for domain names and email addresses that only use letters a-z, digits 0-9, and the hyphen. That means that users whose names, languages, or scripts fall outside this framework often find themselves unable to fully participate in the Internet. This is where Universal Acceptance comes in.

Universal Acceptance is the idea that all valid domain names and email addresses – regardless of script, language, or character length – should work seamlessly in all Internet-enabled systems. It’s a foundational requirement for a truly multilingual and accessible Internet.

At ICANN, we are working with stakeholders from across the Internet community to raise awareness of UA, develop tools, and drive adoption. We’re working directly with software developers, website owners, and digital service providers to ensure that their systems are UA-ready.

This is not a technical footnote. It is an access issue for the digital age. If people cannot use the Internet in their own language or script, their ability to learn, work, advocate, and connect is diminished. That’s not just a matter of convenience – it’s a matter of global accessibility.

Building or retrofitting systems to be UA-ready creates opportunities and benefits individual Internet users as well as the organizations that serve them. Through UA those who develop, provide, or manage online websites and applications have the opportunity to enable users globally to experience the social and economic power of the Internet. It is crucial to enabling consumer choice online and it enables businesses, governments, and societies to connect with and better serve their customers, citizens, and communities through the use of an increasing number of new domains.

The Internet as a Public Resource

For organizations like the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) and others working at the intersection of media, rights, and development, these issues are not abstract. They directly affect the ability of communities to tell their stories, advocate for themselves, and shape their futures. And to do this in their language and script of choice.

A multilingual, accessible Internet is essential for realizing the rights to information, participation, and self-expression. It is essential for amplifying voices from across the world. And it is essential for ensuring that technology serves the common good – not just economic or political interests.

At ICANN, we believe that the Internet is a public resource – something that should be accessible to all. Like all public resources, it must be protected, nurtured, and governed in ways that reflect the vibrant differences in our world.

This vision is reflected in ICANN’s latest Strategic Plan for 2026-2030 and has been part of our strategic planning since 2021 and carries through to our vision for 2030 and beyond. We are committed to expanding access, improving technical reliability, and strengthening the multistakeholder model so that the Internet continues to be a tool for empowerment – not exclusion.

What’s Next?

As we look to the future, we must ask: whose Internet are we building? Who gets to shape it? Who is left out? The answers to these questions will depend on the choices we make today.

Our investments in digital accessibility must include language. We must support local content, multilingual systems, and culturally relevant tools. We must prioritize the adoption of Internationalized Domain Names and Universal Acceptance.

And we must defend the governance structures that make inclusion possible. While the multistakeholder model may not be perfect, it is one of the most democratic and resilient frameworks we have for protecting the global Internet.

Shared responsibility is not a slogan. It is the reason the Internet works. And we cannot take this for granted, it’s important to be aware of what the Internet is and to allow for the continued fulfilment of its potential. Imagine if the Internet didn’t exist.

Let’s ensure the Internet remains open, interoperable, and welcoming to all – regardless of language, location, or level of privilege. Because when we do, we build a better Internet, and a more connected and accessible world.

To learn more, participate, lend your voice to the way the Internet is governed, and support our shared mission and the future of the Internet, there are many ways to do this, whether through national or regional discussions, such as the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), and national and regional IGFs (NRIs) (https://www.internetsociety.org/events/igf) or through our work at ICANN (https://www.icann.org/en/beginners). The strength of our work depends on having as many individuals, organizations, experts, companies, and governments at the table as possible and we invite you to join us.

Theresa Swinehart is the Senior Vice President of Global Domains and Strategy for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). In this role, she works with the community, contracted parties, stakeholders, and policymakers to ensure broad and inclusive engagement, consensus-based policymaking through ICANN’s multistakeholder model, and effective, accountable policy implementation. Her responsibilities include policy implementation, review operation, and cross-functional strategic initiatives such as ICANN’s compliance with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. An expert in global Internet governance, Theresa also serves as co-deputy to the President and CEO. Her extensive industry experience, including nearly 20 years as a key contributor to ICANN’s growth and development, gives her a valuable perspective on how ICANN organization can work efficiently and collaboratively to better serve the global Internet community.