How does data travel over the Internet?

Routing all systems through IP means having just one network to maintain and upgrade. Data travels across the internet in packets. Each packet can carry a maximum of 1,500 bytes. ... When you send an e-mail to someone, the message breaks up into packets that travel across the network. read more

If one connection should fail, data can travel across an alternate route. This works for individual networks and the Internet as a whole. For instance, even if a packet doesn't make it to the destination, the machine receiving the data can determine which packet is missing by referencing the other packets. read more

Net of Insecurity How data travels across the Internet. Information is divided up, sent in chunks across the world and reassembled when it reaches its destination. read more

Other answers are right, close to the speed of light. But it’s important to point out, it is not because the electrons are moving at the speed of light (they move surprisingly slowly actually). read more