Government

The FTC has filed suit against Amazon over billing kids for unauthorized in-app purchases that in many cases they did not know they had made. The suit accuses Amazon of violating Section 5(a) of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce. The FTC is s...

T-Mobile's efforts to market itself as the un-carrier that puts customers first may be impacted by the FTC's allegations that it has engaged in "cramming" -- charging consumers for services offered by third-party companies without their knowledge or consent. "We're asking the court for an order both...

The Obama administration and the private sector -- often at odds over the regulation of everything from telecom issues to software protection to the environment -- apparently agree that a major issue dealing with cybersecurity should be addressed on a cooperative basis, largely free of federal regul...

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son may have new hope for a Sprint, T-Mobile merger. After SoftBank merged with Sprint last summer, Son set his sights on T-Mobile. There was early resistance from regulators, but that may be softening, with Comcast-Time Warner Cable and AT&T-DirecTV having joined the merg...

AT&T's planned merger with DirecTV is far from a done deal. Among the objections that have been raised is one stemming from a filing this week with the Federal Communications Commission. There is now concern that the merger would make it more difficult for consumers to cut their cable-TV cords.

AT&T's planned merger with DirecTV is far from a done deal. Among the objections that have been raised is one stemming from a filing this week with the Federal Communications Commission. There is now concern that the merger would make it more difficult for consumers to cut their cable-TV cords.

The U.S. Department of Justice this week said it would review long-held agreements with two major performing-rights organizations with an eye to updating them to reflect the climate of the music industry more accurately. The DoJ's agreements with ASCAP and BMI have been in place for more than 70 yea...

I think the European Union often goes overboard, and I typically don't agree with its rulings. However, when the EU declared Google invaded privacy, it seemed to have struck a nerve. Countless users worldwide agreed. So, what impact will the EU have on Google with respect to a citizen's right to be ...

The U.S. Defense Department last month adopted a set of final rules covering the detection and avoidance of counterfeit electronic parts in the federal supply chain. The rules affect a wide swath of information technology firms that supply electronic components to the department, including software ...

IT groups and a wide range of other businesses are so divided on proposed changes to U.S. patent law that a key lawmaker abruptly terminated work on patent reform legislation last week. The legislation addresses IP protection practices, known as "patent trolling," that overwhelmingly affect computer...

The U.S. government could save billions of dollars in the management of IT resources by significantly improving outdated and overworked networks. Federal agencies are making progress on five key IT initiatives: data consolidation, virtualization, cloud computing, remote access and infrastructure div...

Protecting supply lines is essential to military success. But the U.S. government has now launched an initiative designed to protect the supply chain of both civilian and military agencies from potential cyberattacks. The effort will be especially important in the e-commerce procurement process. In ...

The FCC on Thursday approved by voice vote proposed rules governing neutrality on the Internet. Following a public comment period and review of those comments by the commission, the agency will finalize the rules, possibly as soon as the end of this year. "Today marks the starting line for a new con...

The European Court of Justice, which is the highest court for matters of European Law, has handed down a preliminary ruling that indicates Google may have to remove links to consumers' names on request -- if appropriate. The case was referred to the ECJ by Spain's Audiencia Nacional, or National Hig...

A major federal agency has launched a program designed to acquire information technology and other essential goods and services for the government the same way that major corporations handle procurement. The General Services Administration, which acquires a wide range of products and services on beh...