For over a year, the news media has reported extensively on proposed rules from the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) concerning “net neutrality.” Today, the FCC released its anticipated order placing “network neutrality” requirements on broadband internet access providers. In this e-bulletin we provide a background on developments leading up to…
NEW YORK (AP) – Google Inc., the top Web search provider, said Tuesday it will allocate about $8.5 million to Internet privacy and policy organizations as part of a class action settlement involving its Buzz social hub. The lawsuit had been filed by users of Google’s free e-mail service, Gmail.…
Facebook Inc. will probably put off its initial public offering until 2012, giving Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg more time to gain users and boost sales, three people familiar with the matter said. Facebook would benefit from another year of growth absent the added scrutiny that comes with a public…
MUMBAI, India (AP) – It looks like an iPad, only it’s 1/14th the cost: India has unveiled the prototype of a $35 basic touchscreen tablet aimed at students, which it hopes to bring into production by 2011. If the government can find a manufacturer, the Linux operating system-based computer would…
Visa Inc., the world’s biggest payments network, fell as much as 5 percent after saying the U.S. Department of Justice may sue the company over a policy that bars merchants from charging extra to customers who pay with credit cards. “The department has indicated that it is considering filing a…
NEW YORK (AP) – Apple Inc. will hold a press conference on Friday to discuss the latest iPhone model amid complaints about its antenna and Consumer Reports magazine’s refusal to endorse it until the problems get fixed. Apple would not provide details on the nature of the event at the…
Organizers claim more than 30,000 people deleted their accounts on the world’s most popular social network service (SNS), a drop in Facebook’s half-billion-person ocean, but an important symbol. What did Facebook do wrong? They’ve been playing fast and loose with privacy. Every time Facebook restructures its privacy controls—say whether your…
AT&T Inc. acknowledged Wednesday that a security hole in its website had exposed iPad users’ email addresses, a breach that highlights how corporations still have problems protecting private information. A small group of computer experts that calls itself Goatse Security claimed responsibility for the intrusion, saying the group had exploited…
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently filed a series of comment letters with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) supporting that agency’s consideration of privacy and data security in the development of its Broadband Plan. The first of these letters,[1] dated December 9, 2009, highlights the extent to which federal agencies,…
Is text-messaging protected against surveillance by an employer? Currently, it is if the employer is a governmental entity. But for how long? The Supreme Court recently agreed to review the Ninth Circuit’s panel opinion in Quon v. Arch Wireless, 529 F.3d 892 (9th Cir. 2008), cert. granted sub. nom. City…