The Internet doesn't mean the same thing everywhere in the world. Depending on where you go, access to all parts of the web can be limited to varying degrees. Governments and ruling parties in some countries limit access to the web, block certain content and heavily monitor its citizen's activity.
For instance, if you live in Iran, you are going to have access to only the slightest sliver of the web. Same goes for places like Bahrain, Vietnam and Tunisia. In many countries, there are battles being fought for the cause of internet freedom.
That's the message of a short video infographic produced by Column Five Media for CBS' What's Trending.
They call it the "soft war," based on what Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei said about the connection between protestors, internet users, and international media. The video draws on a report released in April by Freedom House called Freedom on the Net 2011. In that report, they ranked 37 countries across the world based on 3 different criteria - obstacles to access, limits and content and violation of rights. Iran was the worst, and Estonia, the U.S. and Germany scored the best.
Did you know that Cuba has a "dual internet structure" that basically provides one internet for government officials and tourists and another, filtered internet for its citizens? North Korea has the same deal, and only about 1000 people are said to have open internet access in the country.
Set to what almost sounds like a spy movie soundtrack, the video discusses Iran, Anonymous and Social Media use. Check it out below -