TEMPE, Ariz. -- Former President Bill Clinton presided over a star-studded panel Friday evening, voicing his preference that the United States maintain control of the Internet's domain name system, which will soon be ceded to an international body.

Clinton appeared on stage for a Clinton Global Initiative event with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia, among others, to discuss how social change could come about through online engagement.

"Whatever you think our country has done wrong, the United States has been by far the country most committed to keeping the Internet free and open and uninterrupted," Clinton said at Arizona State University.

The former president expressed concern over the United States' recent announcement that the Internet domain system, currently controlled an agency of the Department of Commerce, will soon be ceded to an international agency that will be assembled after negotiations.