Our Mission
GCTIP promotes transparency in Internet performance by supporting open discussion, responsible interpretation of measurement, and collaboration across the technical community, consumer advocates, ISPs, and public-interest organizations.
Background & Origins
GCTIP emerged from a 2008 network measurement workshop convened at Google’s headquarters by Vint Cerf and Google. The gathering brought together academic researchers and practitioners focused on how the Internet is measured and understood. The same meeting also helped catalyze the open measurement platform known as M-Lab (Measurement Lab).
What began as a mailing list evolved into a broader clearinghouse for insights, data, and discussion surrounding Internet performance, transparency, and consumer impact.
What We Focus On
- Accurate bandwidth and latency measurement, including test methodology and interpretation
- Traffic management practices, port blocking, server prohibitions, and related ISP policies
- Filtering, censorship, and Terms of Service concerns affecting users
- Privacy and security considerations in measurement and data handling
- Responsible analysis to avoid misattribution of issues to ISPs or other stakeholders
Forums & Archival Status
Important Notice (3 April 2015):
The GCTIP Discussion Forums were set to read-only for reference. Historical topics—including IDONS (Internet Distributed Open Name System) and alternatives to the current DNS—remain available for archival purposes.
The forums were created to host open discussion, reporting, analysis, and consumer assistance related to Internet performance and transparency. Registration was required to post, while viewing remained open to all.
Discussion around IDONS and other naming/architecture alternatives continued in subsequent community venues. GCTIP’s archival materials provide useful historical context for ongoing transparency efforts.
Guiding Principles
- Transparency: Clear, accessible information about how networks perform and are managed.
- Rigor: Sound methodologies and open discussion of limitations and edge cases.
- Fairness: Expose bad actors while protecting the innocent from misinterpretation.
- Consumer Focus: Practical insights that help people understand the services they pay for.
- Collaboration: Bridge researchers, industry, policymakers, and the public interest community.
Support & Participation
GCTIP has historically been supported through volunteer effort. When external support becomes available, it is acknowledged transparently and used to further openness, accessibility, and stewardship of archival resources.
Have a question about the archive or collaboration opportunities? Email GCTIP