ICANN stands for The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. At the general level, it is the body responsible for "coordinating the unique identifier systems of the global internet".

In order to access or connect to another device over the Internet, the address of the computer (or device) must be given. Such an address must be unique so that computers can find each other. ICANN is responsible for coordinating these unique identifiers around the world. That's why ICANN plays an important role in internet governance.

In technical terms, ICANN coordinates domain name system (DNS), internet protocol (IP) addresses, domain allocation, protocol identifier assignment, country code (ccTLD) top-level domain name system management, and root server system management functions. These functions were previously performed by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) under US Government contract.