http://www.mediapost.com/publications/ Analysis of the policy issues that relate to digital media. en-us Copyright 2010 MediaPost Communications http://www.mediapost.com/rss Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:11:25 EST Evidence is mounting that the Federal Trade Commission is gearing up to take action against Web companies -- especially social networking services -- that play fast-and-loose with users' privacy. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123891Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:15:39 ESTGoogle was hit this week with a second potential class-action lawsuit over its new Buzz social networking service. This case was filed in federal district court in Rhode Island on behalf of Cranston resident Adranik Souvalian. Like other Gmail users to find fault with Buzz, Souvalian alleges that Google shouldn't have publicized his contacts without first obtaining his consent. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123805Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:30:17 ESTSetting the stage for a Federal Trade Commission crackdown on companies that violate Web users' privacy, the Senate last night confirmed two new commissioners -- Julie Brill and Edith Ramirez. Brill, who previously worked for the North Carolina Department of Justice and the Vermont Attorney General's office, has a track record of supporting privacy laws. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123729Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:30:48 ESTAnother judge has reaffirmed that complaining about a company online doesn't violate its trademark. In a ruling quietly issued late last week, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Cleland in the eastern district of Michigan dismissed a lawsuit brought by a consortium of recruiters called Career Agents Network against the operator of two critical sites. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123644Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:00:47 ESTLest there be any doubt how badly U.S. residents want better broadband service, consider this news tidbit: Topeka, Kansas has renamed itself "Google," in an attempt to entice the search company to choose the city for a test of its upcoming fiber-to-the-home Web service. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123544Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:30:16 ESTSiding with the record labels, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals court has upped the damages that a college student must pay for sharing 37 music tracks on Limewire from $7,400 to $27,750. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123454Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:00:15 ESTGoogle's privacy woes in Europe just keep mounting. Earlier this week, three company executives were convicted of criminally violating a disabled teen's privacy based on a YouTube clip uploaded by high school students. Now, it's come to light that privacy officials with the E.U. are demanding that Google destroy photos for Street View within six months. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123356Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Fri, 26 Feb 2010 19:00:35 ESTWeb users who don't want to be tracked via standard HTML cookies can opt out in various ways, including rejecting cookies at the browser level or regularly deleting cookies. But even the most tech-savvy users might be stymied by some of the newer, harder-to-control tracking technologies. Now, the company ClearSight Interactive is getting ready to launch a form of targeting based on users' IP addresses. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123280Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:30:35 ESTEarlier this month, the shopping comparison search engine myTriggers brought an antitrust action against Google, alleging that the search giant unfairly lowered myTriggers' quality score. Now it's come to light that three other companies have asked the European authorities to investigate whether Google violated antitrust law by lowering their position in the organic results. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123161Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:00:34 ESTBroadband advocates say new FCC research lends support to their calls for new policies that would result in more competition and, presumably, lower prices. Among the report's findings: 36% of those who lack broadband say it's too expensive. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123035Wendy Davis <wdavis@mediapost.com>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:15:16 EST