ARPANET One of the world's first computer networks, now defunct, created by the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency in the 1970s.

bandwidth A section of the electromagnetic spectrum occupied by some form of signal, e.g., data, fax, television, voice, etc. Signals require a certain size and location of bandwidth in order to be transmitted. The higher the frequency of the bandwidth, the faster the signal transmission, thus allowing for more complex signals, such as audio or video, to be transmitted. Because bandwidth is a limited space, heavy demand often forces users to wait their turn. Bombarding the Internet with unnecessary information is referred to as "taking up bandwidth."

browser A software tool used to read electronic documents. Mosaic, NetScape, and Lynx are popular browsers.

Communications Decency Act (CDA) A 1996 law, also known as the Exon Amendment, that banned the availability to minors of indecent material...