The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that connects billions of users worldwide using standard TCP/IP protocols. It consists of private, public, academic, business, and government networks linked together across different technologies. The Internet provides a wide range of information resources and services, including the World Wide Web and email infrastructure. Its history began in the 1950s with early computer networks and research that led to the development of the ARPANET and protocols for interconnecting separate networks into a network of networks.