The internet has come a long way since Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn developed the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and made the pivotal decision not to put an upper limit on the number of networks that could be connected. Design choices matter; they define what is and isn’t possible, and, in this instance, set the rules for the hardware, products and services that connect to the modern internet. They also have the potential to give economic and political advantage to any party that can alter them. This potential has seen the technology and standards that underpin the consumer-focused internet become a new focus for geopolitical rivalry. Japan and the UK – both G7, G20 and OECD members – have each struggled to cope with the capricious, sometimes aggressive behaviour of their strongest ally, the US, while not being able or willing to take a hard line with respect to China on issues like 5G. As China continues to rise as a technological power, and as the risk grows that the internet’s architecture fragments, it will be vital for like-minded allies such as the UK and Japan to continue to advocate the benefits to trade and social well-being of a single, open interoperable internet.