It has more registered members than the entire population of Mexico. As a country, it would have the 11th-largest population in the world. Yep, as you may have guessed, we're talking about News Corp.'s MySpace, the Web's biggest social network. TechCrunch reports that Rupert Murdoch and co. are announcing an online presidential primary next January--one month ahead of Super Tuesday, February 5, 2008, the day when up to 20 states will hold their real-world primaries. You can bet the presidential candidates, who understand the Web, will be more significant than ever before during this election cycle, will be …

The California-based Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is the closest thing the worldwide Web has to a governing body. Because of its worldwide importance, the agency feels it should enjoy the kind of immunity to national law enjoyed by such American-based international organizations as the International Olympic Committee or the Red Cross. A recent report prepared by the group said it would "explore the private international organization model," seeking to "operationalize whatever outcomes result." This means that ICANN would be free from civil lawsuits, police searches and taxes, and its employees would have the kind of …

It was no shock to the media world that Google has now formally announced its intention to move into the TV ad delivery business. Google has already moved into print and radio--with well-documented mediocre results--so TV was always only a matter of time. Search Engine Land takes a closer look at its deals with Astound, a small cable TV provider in Northern California, and Echostar, owner of the national satellite service Dish Network. Do the numbers support Google's decision? Well, TV is still far and away the most important advertising medium, worth between $50 and $70 billion in …

The online real estate business, which refers to the sale of virtual property on the Web (think Second Life), is a bit of a booming market these days; Business 2.0 Magazine explores whether or not this is for good reason. If you're a real estate baron in a virtual world like Second Life, you can carve out some money leasing or selling land. But nowadays, the virtual real estate market is expanding beyond the limited audiences of online communities and into the Web at large. A company called Weblo makes money by selling real estate pages that represent …

For big media, the digital media conundrum comes down to a question of economics, whose answer--thus far, anyway--doesn't look all that promising. The power a site like YouTube gives to its users sets a scary precedent for traditional media companies, underscored by Viacom's $1 billion lawsuit against the Google video site. But what about the bigger problem of illegal file-sharing networks? Meanwhile, the economics of legal services like Apple's iTunes aren't all that favorable either, given what big media is used to. The News Corp.-NBC Universal joint venture represents a reluctant step forward by big, bulky companies into …

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Google has now entered the race to buy the ad-serving firm DoubleClick, potentially leading to a fierce bidding war between the Web's biggest firms. Last week the Journal reported that Microsoft was the frontrunner to buy the ad-serving giant, but now that the price has surpassed $2 billion, the software giant appears less likely to do so, the sources said. Regardless, Hellman & Friedman, the private equity firm that now owns DoubleClick, is planning on offloading the company for about twice what it purchased the Web advertising broker for in …

Google's controversial decision to replace imagery on its satellite with images of New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina decimated the region has drawn serious ire from members of the House of Representatives. The House Committee on Science and Technology's subcommittee for investigations and oversight on Friday asked CEO Eric Schmidt to explain why Google decided to revert to using the outdated imagery showing packed parking lots, full marinas, and unaffected houses. "Google's use of old imagery appears to be doing the victims of Hurricane Katrina a great injustice by airbrushing history," subcommittee chairman Brad Miller, D-North Carolina, wrote in …

Just a day after the founder of BetOnSports LLC was arrested for facilitating illegal online gambling in the United States, the World Trade Organization hit back at the U.S. Justice Department's broader policy banning offshore companies from doing business with American citizens. Rejecting a U.S. appeal to a 2005 ruling, the WTO deemed the government's policy illegal, and said its decision to ignore the finding leaves the country open to possible sanctions. The WTO challenges the notion that Americans can gamble on U.S. soil and Native American reservations but can't accept or make payments to gambling Web sites based in …

"When Apple's iPhone gatecrashed CES two months ago, it forced the cellular industry's hand. At Florida's CTIA Wireless 2007 show this week, it forced them to fold. Buzz, if nothing else, has won the first round." That's Wired's Rob Beschizza, serving up further proof that Apple built its new consumer electronics empire completely on cool design, word of mouth and marketing. The products are good too, of course--but in this case, no one has seen the Apple iPhone, and here we are talking about how it's already changed the mobile phone business. Indeed, the bigness surrounding everything produced …