The Internet is an open, public space. The Internet is the same in most countries, except for places like China and Iran. These are two common "myths" about the Internet that many users, particularly those in the industrialized north, seem to believe. And in many cases, these ideas have been used by activists in campaigns aimed at protecting the open web. And yet we know they are not true: roughly 90% of online space is owned by private companies, most of which are based in the US or Western Europe. Mainstream media tend to focus on extreme examples of Internet policy and practice in authoritarian countries, but it’s clear that every government in the world is concerned about how the Internet changes society and what this means for their ability to lead or control a nation. And users in every country face different challenges -- political, economic, and technological -- when it comes to using the Internet.