A recent Yahoo patent application shows a desire to take advertising to "the Orwellian level" by "bombarding people in public places with targeted advertising served up by the surveillance society," ArsTechnica writes. The patent discusses "smart billboards," which would draw on cameras, satellites, microphones and biometric data -- like facial recognition technology -- in order to serve targeted ads.

Following similar moves by Comcast and AT&T, Cox Communications has increased its data caps to 1 Terabyte. "Cox is quick to highlight how generous the 1 terabyte cap is, ignoring the fact that caps on fixed-line networks aren't necessary in the first place, exist solely to protect incumbent TV revenues from internet video, and are only made possible by a lack of competition that leaves frustrated customers without alternatives," Broadband Reports writes of the move.

Verizon lawyer Craig Silliman suggested Thursday that the company could back out of its offer to purchase Yahoo for $4.83 billion. Silliman says the recent news that hackers obtained information relating to 500 million Yahoo accounts may trigger a clause in the deal that allows Verizon to withdraw.

Gawker, which recently declared bankruptcy, is exploring a lawsuit against billionaire Peter Thiel, who backed Hulk Hogan's invasion of privacy case that resulted in a $140 million judgment against the company. Gawker has asked a bankruptcy court judge to authorize an investigation of Thiel's relationship with Hogan's attorney.

Twitter, Facebook and Instagram blocked Geofeedia's ability to access APIs on Tuesday, following an ACLU report that Geofeedia provided law enforcement officials with data drawn from protesters' social media accounts. The information provided by Geofeedia came from public Instagram posts, tweets and comments posted to Facebook.

A federal judge has dismissed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the ad network JuicyAds -- which serves ads to porn sites. JuicyAds allegedly failed to remove "pirate Internet sites" from its network of publishers. "It is entirely unclear from the [complaint] how serving an advertisement on a website encourages infringement, other than by enabling the website to profit from those advertisements," the judge wrote.

Earlier this month, Yahoo quietly turned off a feature that allowed people to automatically forward emails to new addresses. The move only affects Yahoo account holders who are currently trying to set up new forwarding addresses, and not those who previously arranged to forward their email.

At least in the UK, top prosecutors are taking a hard line on Internet trolls. ‘Trolls who hurl abuse at others online using techniques such as doxxing [where one’s personal info such as bank details are published online], baiting [when one is labeled as sexually promiscuous], and virtual mobbing could face jail,” ars technica reports. That’s according to new guidelines released by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The FBI is trying to unlock the iPhone of Dahir Adan, the Minnesota man who allegedly stabbed 10 people in a mall before being shot by the police. FBI director James Comey told lawmakers the agency hasn't been able to get into the iPhone; a spokesman later said the agency is "exploring technical and legal options."

Facebook wants to roll out the "Free Basics" app in the U.S., in hopes of enabling low-income and rural Americans free Web access to some sites. "Free Basics" zero-rates material from a select group of sites, which lets people access those sites without having the data count against their wireless caps. Regulators in India recently banned "Free Basics" on the grounds that it violated that country's net neutrality principles.