Google chief Eric Schmidt warned that technology would move faster than governments
Google boss
Eric Schmidt and Facebook founder
Mark Zuckerberg have warned governments not to over-regulate traffic on the internet.
Zuckerberg said that governments cannot cherry pick which aspects of the web to control and which not to.
The two heavyweights are leading a group of high-profile online pioneers to the G8 summit in France.
The group will deliver recommendations that have been created at the first
e-G8 gathering in Paris this week.
The e-G8 has the blessing of President Sarkozy, but world leaders are not bound by its findings.
Zuckerberg and Schmidt’s position reflect growing concerns among internet industry professionals that government’s are getting too involved in how the web operates.
"People tell me on the one hand 'It's great you played such a big role in the Arab spring [uprisings], but it's also kind of scary because you enable all this sharing and collect information on people'," said Facebook's founder.
"But it's hard to have one without the other. You can't isolate some things you like about the internet and control other things that you don't."
Mr Schmidt agreed: "Technology will move faster than governments, so don't legislate before you understand the consequences.”
Protection of intellectual property on the internet became one of the biggest battlegrounds at the e-G8 summit, with senior figures from music, TV and film companies facing criticism from proponents of internet freedom.
Some critics said the event was a smokescreen for lobbying from large media companies who were seeking to push governments to introduce tougher copyright laws.
Professor Lawrence Lessig of
Harvard Law School warned delegates: "We should say to modern democratic governments, you need to be aware of incumbents bearing policy fix-its.
"Their job is profit for them. Your job is the public good."