In his speech today about governmental surveillance, President Barack Obama made some comments that didn't sit well with the Direct Marketing Association.That group took issue with a portion of Obama's remarks that it says conflated surveillance by the government with tracking by ad companies.

This week's decision invalidating net neutrality rules could lead to "disastrous" consequences, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn) says today in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission. "Now, there is no law to stop Wal-Mart from paying Comcast for preferential treatment so that its website loads more quickly and with better quality than the website of the small business in Wilmar," he writes in a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. Franken urges Wheeler to "act quickly" to "implement new rules that will preserve access to the Internet."

This week's court ruling invalidating net neutrality -- and paving the way for broadband providers to block content from competitors -- has resulted in a lot of finger-pointing aimed at former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski.

A federal appellate court struck down net neutrality rules today, leaving Internet service providers free to block Web sites, services and apps at will. The ruling, issued by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, also invalidated the FCC's anti-discrimination regulations, which prevented ISPs from charging some companies more than others to put through traffic.

Dow Jones has sued the British company Ransquawk for allegedly misappropriating "hot news" -- or time-sensitive scoops -- by sending out Dow Jones headlines on the Web and through a mobile app.

The Supreme Court said on Friday that it will consider the legality of streaming TV service Aereo, which lets paying subscribers watch over-the-air TV on their smartphones and tablets.

The Federal Communications Commission should open an investigation into AT&T's new "sponsored data" offering, advocacy group Public Knowledge said today.

Aereo's courtroom battles with TV broadcasters don't seem to be discouraging investors. The Barry Diller-backed Internet television service said this week that it has received an infusion of $34 million, which it plans to use to open in 15 new markets.

Companies that offer mobile navigation services should do a better job of informing consumers how their location data is used. That's according to a report released this week by the Government Accountability Office.

AT&T said today that it's moving forward with a controversial "sponsored data" plan, which allows companies to pay to have their material exempted from consumers' data caps. Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility, boasted today in a statement that the company's new offering is "a win-win for customers and businesses." But advocay groups disagree. They rightly say that AT&T's new scheme will harm small companies that can't afford to pay for the data-cap exemption.