Several years ago, many people blamed Lori Drew, an adult in Missouri, for the suicide of 13-year-old Megan Meier. The teen killed herself after receiving online messages from someone she thought was a teen boy named Josh, but was actually a fictional character created by other girls. Initially flirtatious, the messages eventually turned mean; the final one said the world would be a better place without Megan

Two years ago, European privacy regulators promulgated a rule that requires companies to obtain users' consent before setting tracking cookies. But whether that consent must be opt-in or can be granted on an opt-out basis still isn't clear. This week, however, one group of privacy officials in the EU came out strongly in favor of opt-in permission.

Almost three years after voting to allow companies to use "white spaces" for mobile broadband, the Federal Communications Commission announced today that it's ready to move ahead with trials.

The Office of Management and Budget has approved the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality order, bringing the rules one step closer to reality. The regulations, which ban wired as well as wireless broadband providers from blocking or degrading service, will now be sent to the Federal Register for publication.

A federal judge in Nevada recently ordered copyright enforcement outfit Righthaven to pay around $34,000 to defense attorneys in a case it unsuccessfully brought against Wayne Hoehn, who allegedly posted a Las Vegas Review-Journal article in an online forum. U.S. District Court Judge Philip Pro ruled in the case that Righthaven lacked standing to sue because it never obtained the right to license the material from the Review-Journal; additionally, Pro ruled that Hoehn's post was a fair use.

The Internet guidelines group World Wide Web Consortium, known as W3C, is launching a new initiative focused on browser-based privacy tools. "Our task here is to deliver a set of standards that enables individuals to express their preferences and choices about online tracking, and enables transparency concerning online tracking activities for users and the public alike," the organization said in a blog post about the project.

Copyright enforcer Righthaven was hit with another blow this week -- and this one looks like it could prove even more devastating than its recent courtroom losses: MediaNews Group, parent company of the Denver Post, will let its contract with Righthaven lapse at the end of the month.

Given that Righthaven has suffered a string of recent courtroom defeats, it's probably not surprising that the copyright enforcement outfit appears to be in retreat.

Sprint-Nextel has made no secret of its opposition to AT&T's proposed $39 billion merger with T-Mobile. Today the fourth largest wireless company took its arguments to the legal system by filing suit to block the planned merger.

The Justice Department's attempt to stop AT&T's $39 billion merger with T-Mobile got some support today from the editorial board of The New York Times, which said the decision was "the right one for consumers and technology." s