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California Attorney General Reaches Deal on App Privacy

February 22, 2012

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) announced an agreement with Amazon, Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Research in Motion to strengthen privacy protections for smartphone owners who download mobile applications.

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State attorneys general: Google privacy changes appear to harm consumers

February 22, 2012

Dozens of state attorneys general wrote Google’s chief executive to express “strong concerns” that the company’s new privacy policies starting next week will violate consumer privacy.

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FCC chief calls for industry to boost cybersecurity

February 22, 2012

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski called for technology companies to adopt new standards to protect consumers from hackers and spammers.

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Google Seeks Approval for Kansas City Video Service

February 22, 2012

Google filed an application last week to provide video service to residents of Kansas City (MO), according to state records, setting the stage for the Web giant to offer a cable-TV-like package in addition to the high-speed Internet service it plans to market there later this year.

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iPad trademark dispute shows troubles of doing business in China

February 22, 2012

To most global consumers, the iPad is practically synonymous with American electronics titan Apple. But one debt-ridden company in China, Proview, is alleging that it is the rightful owner of the trademark for the name of one of Apple’s signature devices.

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Injured iPhone workers to petition Apple at shareholder meeting

February 22, 2012

Shareholder meetings in normal circumstances are rather boring affairs for those not interested in the nuances of corporate governance. But when Apple holds its annual meeting, there will be issues besides election of board members and potential dividends on people’s minds. Two former iPhone factory workers in China, who were critically injured at Apple supplier Wintek’s plant in 2009, are looking to take advantage of Apple’s yearly meeting by attracting attention to the conditions at factories where Apple’s most important products are assembled.

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AFL-CIO takes aim at Apple with petition

February 22, 2012

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka asked activists to sign a petition to tell Apple CEO Tim Cook "to ensure that people integral to Apple’s success — workers who manufacture Apple’s electronics — are treated fairly."

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Senators Back FCC Proposal to Put Political Files Online

February 22, 2012

In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, eight Democratic senators, led by Sen Jeff Merkley (D-OR), expressed their support for the FCC's proposal to require broadcast stations to put their political files online. While legislators often frame their advice as general suggestions, the senators were emphatic in their call to action.

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Rise in identity fraud tied to smartphone use

February 22, 2012

Nearly 12 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2011, an increase of 13 percent over 2010, according to a report released by the research firm Javelin Strategy & Research.

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Senators Call For Less Waste In Federal IT Investments

February 22, 2012

Members of Congress are pointing to duplicative investments in federal information technology as an area where the government can cut wasteful spending.

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Why do we need academic journals in the first place?

February 22, 2012

In an era of democratized distribution of information, why do we need expensive paywalled journals in the first place?

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Should mobile operators embrace over-the-top VoIP?

February 22, 2012

Voice-over-Wi-Fi pioneer Kineto Wireless is trying to convince operators that if they can’t beat the over-the-top VoIP challengers like Skype, they might as well join them.

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Can We Harness the Internet to Collaboratively Write Better Laws?

February 22, 2012

The crowdsourcing process of the OPEN Act is a promising step in using the Internet for democratic engagement in the US, but it is far from the "direct digital democracy" that proponent Rep Darrel Issa (R-CA) claims.

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Various Challenges Likely to Slow Implementation of a Public Safety Broadband Network

February 22, 2012

There are several challenges to implementing a public safety broadband network, including ensuring the network’s interoperability, reliability, and security; obtaining adequate funds to build and maintain it; and creating a governance structure.

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Amazon kills Kindle titles from Chicago publisher IPG

February 22, 2012

Chicago-based Independent Publishers Group, the country's second-largest distributor that deals exclusively with independent publishers, says its e-book titles have been dropped by Amazon after IPG resisted price cuts demanded by the Internet retailer.

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Study: Facebook profile beats IQ test in predicting job performance

February 22, 2012

Can a person's Facebook profile reveal what kind of employee he or she might be? The answer is yes, and with unnerving accuracy.

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Critics tell FCC to block Verizon deal with cable firms

February 22, 2012

T-Mobile and public interest groups (including the Benton Foundation) urged the Federal Communications Commission to block Verizon Wireless’ spectrum and marketing deal with cable firms, saying the transaction would lead to less competition and higher wireless service fees for consumers.

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FCC holds a few aces on spectrum

February 22, 2012

While the congressional battle to pass spectrum legislation may have ended, the process of actually getting spectrum into the hands of wireless companies and making it available for smartphones, tablets, and other wireless technologies has just begun.

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The spectrum war's winners and losers

February 22, 2012

As airwaves become scarce, the spectrum crunch is turning a field of "haves" and "have-nots" into a sharply divided set of winners and losers.

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Google, Safari and our final privacy wake-up call

February 22, 2012

Safari needs to be a final wake-up call: We all need to be more vigilant about what data is being shared, with whom it is being shared, and where.

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Top EU court to decide whether trade treaty with US violates rights

February 22, 2012

The European Union decided to have Europe’s top court decide whether the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) violates the freedom of expression.

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Microsoft lodges EU complaint against Motorola

February 22, 2012

Microsoft lodged a formal complaint with the European Union's competition regulator against Google's Motorola Mobility, saying the company's aggressive enforcement of patent rights against rivals breaks competition rules.

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Center for Digital Democracy Petitions FTC for Google Privacy Ruling

February 22, 2012

The Center for Digital Democracy has petitioned the Federal Trade Commission for a ruling on whether Google's announced change in privacy policy violates its consent decree with the FTC over Google Buzz.

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FCC Nominees Being Held Hostage by GOP

February 22, 2012

Late last year, President Obama nominated Jessica Rosenworcel and Ajit Pai to fill two vacancies on the five-person Federal Communications Commission. Both nominations are hung up in the Senate for reasons that have nothing to do with the nominees themselves. They are pawns in a couple of fights with the FCC by some Senate Republicans. However, both nominees have strong credentials for the FCC jobs, according to FCC watchers.

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LightSquared to Cut 45% of Jobs to Trim Costs After Rejection

February 22, 2012

Billionaire Philip Falcone’s LightSquared wireless venture is cutting 45 percent of its jobs, or about 149 positions, to preserve cash after its plan to start operating was rejected by the Federal Communications Commission.

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Study: Patchwork Of Laws Undermines Cloud Computing Market

February 22, 2012

While many developed countries have adjusted their laws and regulations to address cloud computing, the wide differences in those rules make it difficult for companies to invest in the technology, according to a new study by the Business Software Alliance.

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Cherie Blair Sues Rupert Murdoch's News Corp

February 22, 2012

As Rupert Murdoch attempts to move forward from the phone hacking scandal that threatened his media empire, he received a sober reminder that it is still far from over.

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The iPhone is (still) saving the mobile industry

February 22, 2012

Even with the heavy subsidies phone companies must pay to Apple and some five years after its introduction, the iPhone may well be the best thing going for the mobile industry.

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7 markets in which tablet growth will explode

February 22, 2012

Forget PCs, tablets have captured the technology industry's attention. Here are the areas where tablets are poised to dominate: Healthcare, Hospital, and Medical Applications; Sales Force; Entertainment; Retail; Education; Publishing; and Mobile Workers.

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Two states climb aboard new, 100-gigabit fast train

February 22, 2012

Indiana and Ohio are the first states to take advantage of the next-generation backbone being built out by Internet2 and the Energy Department, linking in-state academic research networks to the 100-gigabits/sec cross-country network.

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