 We love the internet. The internet is a free space where we can be ourselves or somebody else. We can use it to connect and exchange information, to share stories, or to create social movements. Because of U.S. influence over the early evolution of the internet, U.S. companies and institutions play a significant role in internet governance decisions, including the distribution and management of internet domain names and IP addresses. Some states are trying to change the existing internet governance system at the World Conference on International Telecommunications, an intergovernmental meeting hosted by the International Telecommunications Union, which is taking place in Dubai right now. But some of the governments pushing the hardest are the same ones that aggressively censor the internet. In Russia, making a YouTube video against the government can get you two years in jail. In China, you can't even get to most social media sites. And Iran is trying to build its own national intranet to replace the global internet. Their solution is not to make internet governance more inclusive, but to limit it to national governance. They want to use the ITU to increase their ability to control the internet. If the internet is to remain a global platform for free expression and communication, we need an internet governance framework that is open, transparent and democratic. The ITU is not the appropriate forum to determine the future of the internet. The ITU should continue to serve as an important stakeholder and build upon the successful work it already does to promote internet access, including assisting with the development of communication standards and providing support for broadband deployment across the world. Creating a more inclusive and democratic internet governance structure will be a long-term endeavor that lasts far beyond the wicked. The governments in Dubai should commit to pursuing an open, accessible and multi-stakeholder approach to internet governance that respects human rights and freedom of expression.