Google has developed a new tool that lets people see how much electricity they're consuming--knowledge that they hope, says Forbes, will incite many people to cut back on their power use. A team of about 30 people, which the search giant hopes to expand to more than 200 very shortly, is currently developing the software product. The Mountain View, Calif. Web giant is partnering with a host of electric utilities, deice makers, regulators and other tech companies to deliver the data to consumers. Forbes assumes that one of those companies is Silver Spring Networks, a Silicon Valley company that is …

According to Advertising Age's Michael Learmonth, Group M Interaction CEO John Montgomery "laid down the law" when he said, recently: "All data generated or collected by the Media Company in performing under this Agreement shall be deemed 'Confidential Information' of Agency/Advertiser." This, which was first reported here at MediaPost, means that Group M is saying that all the data collected by Group M belongs to Group M, not its publisher clients. "It's to ensure that data is confidential and cannot be accessed by our competitors," Montgomery said of the new agreement. "It's a loophole we wanted to close." …

In an interview with British trade pub Marketing, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone reveals that Twitter may soon start charging companies that use the site for commercial purposes. "We are noticing more companies using Twitter and individuals following them," Stone says. "We can identify ways to make this experience even more valuable and charge for commercial accounts." This is hardly a big surprise, writes TechCrunch's Robin Wauters, as tech pundits have been saying for months that charging companies is the most obvious move Twitter could make to start generating some revenue. But many are expecting more from the microblogging …

New CEO Carol Bartz has begun the work of rebuilding Yahoo with some tough talk, although thus far, little has been said about the strategy she will adopt. In a memo leaked to Reuters, Bartz revealed that one area she is particularly bullish about is emerging markets. "While I was still at Autodesk, I traveled extensively through these emerging markets and am a strong, strong believer in the opportunities that are out there," she wrote. "Sure, there might be an economic slowdown, but that's where the largest percentage of Internet growth is going to be and we are going to …

When Google launched the T-Mobile G1 smartphone, one of the major complaints was that its touch screen didn't use multi-touch, the technology deployed by Apple's iPhone that allows for a screen to accept multiple points of contact at the same time. VentureBeat's MG Siegler explains why, revealing that Apple actually asked Google not to implement it, and Google complied, according to a source from Google's Android team. The source went on to say that Google was relieved to have made that decision, especially since Apple, which holds several mobile patents, is considering legal action against Palm for using multi-touch technology …

Instant messaging has historically existed on closed and proprietary systems, using clients that can only connect to a single network, but last week's announcement that Meebo users would be allowed to chat with their Facebook friends using the social network's popular Web-based IM service could be a sign that IM is finally starting to open up, says TechCrunch's Jason Kincaid. However, before a paradigm shift is to take place, Yahoo and Microsoft, the largest remaining holdouts, have to follow suit, he says. For years, users with multiple accounts would have to keep multiple programs open to chat with their various …