The president of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi said today that he would use his country’s upcoming presidency of the G8 group to try to encourage “regulation of the internet”.

Speaking in Italy to a group of postal workers, Berlusconi said: “The G8 has as its task the regulation of financial markets… I think the next G8 can bring to the table a proposal for a regulation of the internet.”

Italy takes over the G8 at the start of 2009, a role that is taken in rotation by each of the group’s members. The chairman at that time has control over when all the meetings take place. Berlusconi’s first go as G8 group chairman was marred by riots at a meeting in Genoa.

Although he nevetr went into detail about what exactly he plans to do to regulate the net, Italy’s media have got unsettled, and are unsure what he will try to do.

One newspaper L’Unita wrote: “You can not say that it is not a disturbing proclamation, given that the only countries in the world where there are filters or restrictions against internet are countries ruled by dictatorial regimes: those between China, Iran, Cuba, Saudi Arabia.”

Italy’s blogging community is up in arms about his comments to, and plan to protest tomorrow by putting anti-Berlusconi banners on their websites.

The president has come under fire for many years now for his dictator-tendencies to regulating the internet, and his love of the media’s limelight. He’s got so bad that The Economist even declare him as “not fit to run Italy”.

Regulating the internet is an impossible task without complete regulation of everyone online. China has problems already with its regulations, and strict regimes for online activity, and is viewed as unfair. If Berlusconi had his way, we’d have a riot on our hands.