Google won't be able to create any more high-speed fiber networks in the state of Kansas, if some lawmakers get their way. A bill introduced this week would impose sweeping new restrictions on municipal broadband networks.

The American Civil Liberties Union, Writers Guild of America and Ms. Foundation for Women are among a broad array of groups petitioning the Federal Communications Commission to take steps to preserve net neutrality. "Right now there is no one protecting Internet users from ISPs that block or discriminate against online content," the petition states. "Companies like AT&T, Time Warner Cable and Verizon will be able to block or slow down any website, application or service they like. And they'll be able to create tiered pricing structures with fast lanes for content providers and speakers who can afford the tolls -- …

The head of AT&T reportedly said this week that the recent court decision striking down neutrality rules won't change how the telecom delivers Internet service. “In the last couple of years, the industry has worked and agreed to a framework for net neutrality. So the court order really changed nothing," CEO Randall Stephenson said during a conference call, according to Cnet. Two weeks ago, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals granted Verizon's request to strike down the Federal Communications Commission's 2010 net neutrality rules. Those regulations prohibited all broadband providers from blocking lawful content and services, and prohibited …

Web users are increasingly concerned about their privacy, according to new research from TRUSTe. The company reported today that 92% of U.S. Internet users surveyed by the group say they are worried about their online privacy, up from 89% in January of 2013.

The Department of Justice agreed today to allow Google, Microsoft, Apple and other Web companies to publish some aggregate information about the number of requests they receive for data about consumers.

Entertainment industry officials who hope that the recently launched "six strikes" program will end online piracy could be in for a rude awakening. That's the main takeaway from a report issued earlier this month by academics from the University of Delaware and Universite de Rennes.

The leadership at Netflix is attempting to reassure stockholders that the company won't be hurt by the recent court decision gutting net neutrality rules.

Google's recent decision to allow Google+ users to send emails to other users -- even without knowing their addresses -- "is an obvious invasion of a person's privacy and a delight for potential stalkers," the nonprofit group Consumer Watchdog says in a letter to the Federal Trade Commission.

Several years ago, researchers caused a stir by reporting that many Web companies, including Facebook and Zynga, "leak" users' personal information in the referrer headers that are passed along to advertisers. A wave of bad publicity ensued, as did some Federal Trade Commission investigations. Eventually some of the Web companies accused of leaking data revised their practices and curtailed the information that's included in the referrer headers -- the URLs that Facebook, Zynga and other companies send to advertisers when directing traffic their way. The headers themselves previously included information that could reveal users' identities, as well as the specific …

Siding with Gawker, a Florida appellate court has lifted an order that prohibited the site from publishing an excerpt of a sex tape featuring Hulk Hogan.