The Economist points out that the Internet for the past few years has been remarkably open, allowing people to create a website, communicate with anyone in the world, and view information largely free from interference by government or large corporations (http://www.economist.com/node/16941635 ). The open Internet has led to innovations like Wikipedia, companies like Facebook, and even the destabilization of autocratic governments like Egypt.

According to The Economist, three forces now threaten the freedom of the Internet: 1) government 2) large corporations, and 3) network owners.