The head of the Federal Communications Commission said he supports cable companies' charging for Internet based on how much a subscriber uses the service, and also welcomed a cable industry initiative to share Wi-Fi hotspots around the country. Most Internet service providers charge a flat fee and price their packages based on the speed of the service.
The organization overseeing a major expansion of Internet addresses has reopened its system for letting companies and organizations submit proposals. The Web-based system had been shut down since April 12 because of a software glitch that exposed some private data.
The National Security Agency is trying to expand U.S. cyber expertise needed for secret intelligence operations against adversaries on computer networks through a new cyber-ops program at selected universities. The cyber-ops curriculum is geared to providing the basic education for jobs in intelligence, military and law enforcement that are so secret they will only be revealed to some students and faculty, who need to pass security clearance requirements, during special summer seminars offered by NSA.
Facebook Inc. has agreed to settle a lawsuit that alleged the site's "Sponsored Stories" feature publicized users' "likes" without compensation or the ability to opt out, according to a court document. The proposed class action lawsuit, filed in a San Jose, California federal court, could have included nearly one of every three Americans, with billions of dollars in damages, court documents say.
A federal judge has refused to order a Norwegian website that describes itself as “the number one socializing porn and sex network” to turn over its name to Facebook. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ruled that the court had no jurisdiction because Facebook, which sued in California, had failed to show that the owner of website Faceporn had targeted residents of the state.
Apple Inc. renewed its bid for a court order immediately blocking sales of Samsung Electronics Co.'s Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer, relying on an appeals court’s finding that it will probably win a patent infringement claim. Apple made a similar request last year to U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, as part of a broader patent dispute over smartphones and tablets.
The Federal Trade Commission has named an Internet privacy expert to advise on mobile privacy and competition issues as the agency takes on high-profile investigations of potential harm to consumers by the Web’s biggest firms. Paul Ohm, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Law School, will begin Aug. 27 as senior policy adviser for consumer protection and competition issues at the FTC’s Office of Policy Planning.
The U.S. Supreme Court left intact a $675,000 jury verdict against a college student who downloaded and redistributed thousands of songs from the Internet without paying. The court, without comment, refused to hear Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum’s challenge to a law that let the recording industry collect thousands of dollars from individuals for such downloading.
The European Union's antitrust chief ratcheted up the pressure on Google, giving it a matter of weeks to settle an investigation into allegations of anti-competitive behavior and avoid formal charges and a possible fine. Even if the world's most popular search engine offers concessions to resolve the issue, it will still be under the EU spotlight following fresh complaints over its Android mobile software, the top operating system for Internet-enabled smartphones.
Pakistan banned access to Twitter because of "blasphemous" material, a Pakistani official said, but normal service was resumed after 12 hours. The government did not specify which users or messages had prompted the ban on the microblogging site or why it was allowed to operate again so quickly.
The U.S. International Trade Commission once again said Apple and Research In Motion are not infringing on a patent held by Eastman Kodak. ITC administrative law judge Thomas Pender posted his initial determination in the case, reaffirming a decision the group made last year that the two companies were not infringing on one of Kodak's patents with their mobile devices.
Google said that Chinese authorities have approved its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings, the last regulatory hurdle to a deal that would allow the world's No. 1 Internet search engine to develop its own line of smart phones. Google, which will be the newest entrant to the handset market, announced plans for the acquisition last year in a bid to secure Motorola's valuable patents and pave the way for a pairing of Google's Android mobile software and Motorola's handset business.
Some of Motorola Mobility's Android phones infringe on a Microsoft patent, a U.S. trade panel said in ordering that the devices be barred from importation into the United States.
FBI Director Robert Mueller confirmed that the bureau has renewed its push for a new Internet wiretapping law. In an appearance on Capitol Hill, Mueller downplayed privacy concerns, saying the FBI's wiretap proposals -- social-networking Web sites and providers of VoIP, instant messaging, and Web e-mail are the primary targets -- would still require a court to be involved.
Taiwan’s Central Election Commission fined recently re-elected President Ma Ying-jeou NT$500,000 (USD$16,900) for inappropriate campaigning in connection with a message posted on his Facebook page shortly after midnight on election day urging voters to support him. The post in question was a summary of Mr. Ma’s election eve speech -- nothing too controversial, except that someone had tacked the message "Support #2" on the end.
Facebook Inc. was sued for $15 billion in an amended complaint by subscribers who claim the company invaded their privacy by tracking their Internet use. In the complaint filed in federal court in San Jose, California, the plaintiffs say Facebook improperly tracked users even after they logged out.
Simon & Schuster, one of the five major book publishers accused in multiple lawsuits of conspiring with Apple to fix e-book prices, has settled the complaint filed by numerous states' attorney generals. Denise Cote, the federal judge overseeing the three different antitrust complaints pending against Apple and the defendant publishers, granted a motion to dismiss Simon & Schuster from the complaint.
Twitter announced that it is joining Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox Web browser, and giving its users the ability to opt-out of being tracked in any way through Twitter. Twitter is doing this by enabling the Do Not Track feature in the Firefox browser that enables people to opt-out of cookies that collect personal information and any third-party cookies, including those used for advertising.
Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, who has renounced his U.S. citizenship, was accused by two U.S. senators of dodging taxes on Facebook stock-market profits. When the company goes public on Friday, Saverin will make a fortune. Bloomberg first reported last week he had renounced his citizenship and, in so doing, may avoid U.S. taxes on the initial public offering.
The World Intellectual Property Organization has concluded its look into Apple's complaint over the iPhone5.com domain, which seems to suggest a victory for the iPhone maker. The minimalist WIPO filing page now declares the case "Terminated."
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