Someone summon the ghost of George Orwell. A group of UK copyright lobbyists reportedly held confidential, closed-door meetings with Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries to discuss what Boingboing characterizes as "a plan to allow industry groups to censor the Internet in the UK." Claiming to possess a copy of the leaked proposal, the popular blog says it reveals a plan to establish "expert bodies" that would decide "which websites British people were allowed to see, to be approved by a judge using a 'streamlined' procedure." What's more, "The procedure will allow for 'swift' blocking …

Mark Zuckerberg has one less thing to worry about now that Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have decided not to appeal the Supreme Court ruling upholding their $65 million settlement with Facebook and its young founder. After agreeing to the cash-and-stock accord in 2008, the Olympic rowing twins sought to undo it, saying it was fraudulent because Facebook hid information from them, and that they deserved more money, Reuters reports. The Winklevosses had been planning to appeal an April 11 ruling by a federal appeals court in San Francisco upholding the settlement, which that court called "quite favorable." But …

While it may result in a few confused consumers, it looks unlikely that Apple will get exclusive rights to the term "Appstore." After a hearing in Oakland, Calif., U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton said this week that she is "probably" going to deny Apple claim because it hasn't actually demonstrated confusion among consumers, reports Bloomberg Businessweek. Specifically, Apple is trying to stop Amazon.com from using the term "Appstore" for a service selling programs for Android devices. Apple is arguing that it will be irreparably harmed because the value of its own App Store will be eroded as consumers confuse …

On the heels of a similar deal with AOL's Patch, American Express has partnered with Foursquare to offer discounts to cardholders when they "check-in" to certain shops and restaurants. The New York Times is calling the deal Foursquare's "largest partnership to date," and further proof that the location-based social network is holding its own against LBS interlopers like Facebook, Google, and Patch. "Thus far, it seems, Foursquare is holding its ground," writes NYT. Indeed, earlier this week it, announced registering over 10 million users, though, as the newspaper noted: "It would not say how many of those are active." …

Going after local businesses, shopping app Shopkick has partnered with Citi to offer free service installation to its first 1,000 small business partners in 10 U.S. cities. "What's getting installed, anyway?" asks Business Insider. "A small box that sits in the store and emits an audio signal: That is how the Shopkick app verifies that you are actually inside the store, which is required before you can earn Shopkick points." Shopkick points, in case you're wondering, can be redeemed for real-money rewards, so merchants insist on making sure users are actually inside the store, not just "checking in" …

How's Yahoo's turnaround coming? Don't ask Michael Arrington. Under the snarky headline, "Yahoo's 360 Turnaround," TechCrunch's co-editor insists that things are going from bad to worse for the Web portal. "Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has long promised a turnaround at the lagging company." The only thing Yahoo seems to be doing, however, is "spinning in circles." As a result, Yahoo is quietly looking at replacement CEO candidates, according to Arrington. "Fox Digital Chief Jon Miller has had 'early and unofficial' discussions with the Yahoo board of directors about taking over as CEO," he writes. "It's thought that Yahoo board …

Mobile devices -- i.e., iPads, Android phones, and tablets -- have overtaken computers on Wi-Fi networks, according to a new report from cloud networking provider Meraki. "It's another sign that mobile is increasingly the way people access the Internet, bypassing traditional computers in their hunt for information," comments GigaOm. ,br> Last year, according to the report, Windows and Mac OS X accounted for 64% of devices that accessed Wi-Fi networks, while Appple's iOS accounted for 32%, and Android represented a measly 1%. Just a year later, iOS -- bolstered by the iPad -- and Android now represent 58% of …

Hoping to branch out into TV, mobile music service Shazam has reportedly raised $32 million from investors, including Kleiner Perkins and Institutional Venture Partners. "What Shazam is really excited about is television, which it sees as a bigger opportunity than music," according to All Things D, citing comments from company executives. "The company has embarked on a flurry of deals with networks like MTV and Syfy and advertisers like Old Navy." Select TV programs and ads now encourage viewers to "Shazam" them, using the audio recognition features of Shazam apps in order to receive bonus content and discounts. …

Amid a proliferation of Web-connected recording devices and image-tagging tools, The New York Times considers the pros and cons of privacy's demise. "To some, [our current situation] could conjure up comparisons to the agents of repressive governments in the Middle East who monitor online protests and exact retribution offline. "But the positive effects can be numerous: criminality can be ferreted out, falsehoods can be disproved and individuals can become Internet icons." Like individuals, marketers have much to gain, and lose, from a privacy-free paradigm. "Publicity" -- something normally associated with celebrities -- "is no longer scarce," Dave Morgan, the …

Could Microsoft buy RIM? Well, "Research In Motion has lost so much value that an acquirer could pay a 50 percent premium and still buy the BlackBerry maker for a lower multiple than any company in the industry," Bloomberg reports. As a result, BMO Harris Private Banking thinks it's likely that Microsoft, or perhaps Dell, will make a go. The lucky buyer "would get a smartphone maker that is still dominant among corporate clients, offers greater security with its own e-mail servers and generates more free cash versus its market value than any of its rivals," Bloomberg notes. …