Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, and Eric Schmidt, the chairman of Google, are part of a delegation chosen to address a Group of Eight (G8) summit in Deauville on Thursday about how the internet can drive growth and social change, dpa reported. The six-man panel of internet and media bosses, of which Zuckerberg and Schmidt are the best-known personalities, are to take with them suggestions arising out of the e-G8 conference held in Paris Tuesday and Wednesday. Around 1,000 leading internet developers, media companies and activists attended the conference, which was organized by Publicis advertising company on behalf of the French presidency of the G8. Some delegates criticized the conference for not giving a voice to activists and for having a strong corporate feel. One of the issues discussed was whether ground rules were needed to prevent the internet being used for criminal purposes and prevent online infringement of copyright, such as piracy of films and music. Opening the conference, French President Nicolas Sarkozy told internet developers: "The world you represent is not a parallel universe where legal and moral rules, and more generally, all the basic rules that govern society in democratic countries do not apply." "You cannot exonerate yourselves from minimum values, minimum rules," he appealed. A number of delegates expressed reservations about any government interference in the functioning of the internet. On Thursday the leaders of the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Japan are to sign a joint declaration on the internet, in which they are expected to refer to its role in stimulating growth, A report by McKinsey research company presented at the e-G8 said the internet accounted for 3.4 per cent of gross domestic product in 13 developed and emerging countries in 2009.
