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French President Nicolas Sarkozy has opened the first ever e-G8 forum in Paris.
The event brings together leading figures from the technology industry to discus the impact of the internet.
Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, and Google's Eric Schmidt are among those due to speak.
Critics have claimed that the e-G8 is too focused on handing net control to companies and governments.
Addressing those concerns, President Sarkozy said that states were subject to the will of their citizens who were currently engaged in a revolution, empowered by the internet.
"The global revolution that you incarnate is a peaceful one. It did not emerge on battlefields but on university campuses," he said.
However, President Sarkozy claimed that countries could not remain neutral and allow completely unchecked internet use.
