As AOL faces what is arguably the worst public relations crisis in its history--its release of search data for 658,000 members--the company is carrying on as if nothing is amiss.

Online sexual predators lurk in the darker corners of cyberspace, but fewer kids are receiving sexual solicitations because they're getting savvier about the communities where they spend time. At least that's the finding from a telephone-based survey sponsored by the government-funded National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

When will Fidel Castro die? People are taking bets, that's for sure. Online bets. Or has he already passed?

An AOL employee's decision to release search histories for 658,000 users continues to ripple through the Web, as people are beginning to realize the full ramifications of this sort of so-called "anonymous" data becoming public.

Flight delays grow by the hour, ticket prices have soared (mostly due to increased fuel costs), and security issues remain at the forefront of the travel industry--and yet online travel consumers in the U.S. are poised to spend some $122 billion by 2009, according to a recent report from eMarketer.

Just as AOL is trying to entice Web users with free e-mail, storage and other formerly paid services, the company committed a gaffe so stunningly stupid, it's hard to believe that consumers will ever trust the company again.

Do you need a laugh, uh, like right now? Ever fancied yourself a comedian? Are you trying out bits on your friends so you can land a late-night gig on Conan, Jay, or Dave, or maybe just a stint doing stand-up at open-mike nights? If so, there's a new online comedy venue called DailyComedy.com that may be just the ticket.

GenY (people between the ages of 18 and 28) spends 12.2 hours online each week, or 28 percent longer than GenXers (27- to 40-year-olds), and almost twice as long as 51- to 61-year-old Baby Boomers. The finding comes from a new study by Forrester Research assessing consumer technology adoption.

Google, RealNetworks and Mozilla have forged a distribution deal that should result in Google's toolbar, and Mozilla's fast-growing Firefox browser, landing on even more PCs.

A new survey conducted for ShopSmart magazine by Consumer Reports National Research Center offers an insider look at women's shopping tactics and trends.