In recent months, countries have rushed to sign cybersecurity pacts that not only secure cyberspace allies, but also promote their vision of the global Internet. 

"It's kind of indicating how the battle lines are being drawn," said Richard Stiennon, chief research analyst for security consulting firm IT-Harvest.

While a coalition of nations, including the U.S., is pushing to turn the Internet into a borderless global entity, others such as Russia and China are pressing to give local governments more control over the flow of data.

How the competing visions play out is "a huge question," Chris Finan, a former military intelligence officer and adviser to the Obama administration on cybersecurity policy. "We don't know the answer to that yet."