White House Panel to Focus on Internet Privacy

The Obama administration has formed a subcommittee drawn from various parts of the federal government to advise the White House on regulatory and legislative issues for the Web. The panel, which will focus on Internet privacy, comes as consumer advocacy groups have complained that Internet users need more protection from social media, advertising and other sites that collect user information.

Google Vows "Stronger Controls" to Protect Privacy

Google is "building stronger controls" to safeguard privacy, a senior executive said after the search engine giant's admission to inadvertently gathering emails and passwords across the globe. Peter Fleischer, Google's global privacy counsel, told reporters at a conference on Internet security he was "puzzled" that users had made scant use of privacy controls made available on the site months ago, and Google would try to improve them.

Judge Won't Force Amazon to Disclose Tax Records

In a victory for the free speech and privacy rights of Amazon.com customers, a federal judge ruled that the company would not have to turn over detailed records on nearly 50 million purchases to North Carolina tax collectors. The state had demanded sensitive information including names and addresses of North Carolina customers -- and information about exactly what they had purchased between 2003 and 2010.

Texas Tells Amazon It Owes $269 Million in Sales Taxes

Amazon.com Inc. said it received an assessment of $269 million for uncollected sales tax from the state of Texas. The Seattle-based online retailer received the assessment in September for uncollected taxes, interest and penalties for the period from December 2005 to December 2009, according to Amazon's latest 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Italy Requires Google to Publish "Street View" Schedule

Italy's privacy regulator has told Google it will have to make sure its "Street View" photo-collecting cars are clearly marked and their itinerary is publicized, a daily newspaper reported. Under the regulator's decision, Google has to publish three days in advance on its website, in local newspapers and on radio in which locality, including which area of a large city, the cars will be operating, La Stampa said.

Google Admits Collecting E-mails, Passwords via WiFi

Google admitted that the fleet of vehicles taking panoramic photographs for its Street View mapping service around the globe inadvertently collected e-mails and passwords of computer users on unsecured wireless networks in various countries. Google pledged to strengthen its privacy controls and said it would improve training for engineers and other workers.

Chinese Telecom Firm Blamed for U.S. Military Attack

A Chinese state-run telecom provider was the source of the redirection of U.S. military and corporate data that occurred this past April, according to excerpts of a draft report sent to CNET by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The current draft of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission's (USCC's) 2010 annual report, which is close to final but has not yet been officially approved, finds that malicious computer activity tied to China continues to persist following reports early this year of attacks against Google and other companies from within the country.

Government, Private Sector Hiring Cybersecurity Experts

Official pronouncements from economists that the recession is officially over may have done little to lift the national mood while unemployment remains perilously high. But in one field, cybersecurity, the supply-demand imbalance of the broader labor market is upside down, with government agencies and private-sector firms aggressively recruiting and hiring experts in the field faster than universities can churn them out.

Groups Urge Senator to Push Anti-Piracy Bill

A group of 40 companies and business groups wrote Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., to push for action on his legislation aimed at cracking down on online piracy and counterfeiting. The coalition urged Leahy to push for Senate approval of the legislation when Congress returns in mid-November for a lame-duck session after the November midterm elections.

Facebook's Ad System May Disclose Gay Users

Facebook's privacy problems continue after researchers discovered that Facebook may inadvertently be outing gay users to its advertisers. Saikat Guha from Microsoft and Bin Cheng and Paul Francis from the Max Planck Institute for Software Systems set out to study the challenges in targeted advertising systems online, but found that advertisers can ferret out gay users from straight users just by looking at who's clicking -- even when that sexual preference is hidden.

  • Read the article: Wired

Wireless Spectrum Shortage Possible, FCC Warns

Mobile data traffic in the U.S. will be 35 times higher in 2014 than it was in 2009, leading to a massive wireless spectrum shortage if the government fails to make more available, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said. While the paper may not get the projections exactly right, the U.S. government needs to act fast to free up more spectrum for mobile broadband, John Leibovitz, deputy chief of the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, said during a spectrum summit at the FCC.

Accused File Sharers Refuse to Settle with Movie Studios

The independent film studios suing thousands of alleged file sharers for copyright violations may soon face their own version of Jammie Thomas-Rasset. Attorneys representing some of the people accused of illegal file sharing told CNET that several have refused to settle with the indie studios -- which is what Thomas-Rasset did when she was accused of illegal file sharing by the music industry.

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