This is the most examined distinction in the whole topic, and it is simple. The internet is the network. The World Wide Web is one service running on it.
One road, several vehicles. The web is a vehicle, not the road.
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- Pages and resources
- Documents, images and data held on servers.
- Links
- The idea that made it the web — any page can point at any other.
- HTTP
- The protocol a browser uses to ask for a page. HTTPS is the encrypted form.
- Browsers
- The client software that asks and then renders what comes back.
Dates worth having: Proposed in 1989, made public in 1991. The internet had already been running for twenty years.
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Blurring the two blurs the argument, because they can be governed separately and often are.
| Action | What it actually touches | What it does not |
|---|---|---|
| Blocking a website | One web service | Messaging apps, email, video calls |
| Shutting off mobile data | The internet in that region | Nothing — everything stops |
| A law about online platforms | Specific web services | The network carrying them |
| Cutting an undersea cable | The internet's capacity | Local networks inside the country |
Real-world examples you can name
Australia's News Media Bargaining Code — passed February 2021
A law designed to make large platforms negotiate payment with news publishers for content that appears on their services. Facebook briefly blocked news for Australian users while it was being debated; the law passed in amended form and several deals followed.
Who it affected: News publishers, platform users, and regulators elsewhere who copied the model.
Government internet shutdowns — tracked annually by Access Now since 2016
States order operators to suspend mobile data or the whole internet, usually during protests, elections or exams. India has recorded the most shutdowns of any country for several consecutive years.
Who it affected: Everyone in the affected region — including businesses, hospitals and students.
How this is tested — a distinguish question here is close to guaranteed marks, and a part c may turn on the difference. It comes up two ways:
Paper 1 — structured question
- Part a: distinguish the internet from the World Wide Web
- Part c: evaluate regulating platforms rather than the network
Paper 2 — source-based question
- Q2: explain how a source uses the two words
- Q3: contrast sources that treat them differently
The trap: using the words interchangeably: Examiners are looking for it. One careless sentence can undo a definition you got right a paragraph earlier.
Distinguish between the internet and the World Wide Web.
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Explain one reason why blocking a website does not stop people communicating.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.