Privacy groups and lawmakers are calling for a new and broader investigation into Google and its privacy practices after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it found no evidence that the company broke eavesdropping laws.

Late last week, the FCC reported that there was no legal precedent to find fault with Google collecting unprotected home Wi-Fi data, such as personal email, passwords and search histories, with its roaming Street View cars between 2007 and 2010. However, the FCC did fine Google $ 25,000 for obstructing its investigation.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a national privacy watchdog, disagreed with the FCC findings. In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today, EPIC asked that the Department of Justice investigate Google's surreptitious collecting of Wi-Fi data from residential networks. U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey, a senior member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, has also stepped into the fray.

"The circumstances surrounding Google's siphoning of personal information leave many unanswered questions," Markey said today in an email to Computerworld. "I believe Congress should immediately hold a hearing to get to the bottom of this serious situation."

Internet: <www.computerworld.com> (adapted).

Privacy groups and lawmakers are calling for a new and broader investigation into Google and its privacy practices after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it found no evidence that the company broke eavesdropping laws.

Late last week, the FCC reported that there was no legal precedent to find fault with Google collecting unprotected home Wi-Fi data, such as personal email, passwords and search histories, with its roaming Street View cars between 2007 and 2010. However, the FCC did fine Google $ 25,000 for obstructing its investigation.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a national privacy watchdog, disagreed with the FCC findings. In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today, EPIC asked that the Department of Justice investigate Google's surreptitious collecting of Wi-Fi data from residential networks. U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey, a senior member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, has also stepped into the fray.

"The circumstances surrounding Google's siphoning of personal information leave many unanswered questions," Markey said today in an email to Computerworld. "I believe Congress should immediately hold a hearing to get to the bottom of this serious situation."

Internet: <www.computerworld.com> (adapted).

Privacy groups and lawmakers are calling for a new and broader investigation into Google and its privacy practices after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it found no evidence that the company broke eavesdropping laws.

Late last week, the FCC reported that there was no legal precedent to find fault with Google collecting unprotected home Wi-Fi data, such as personal email, passwords and search histories, with its roaming Street View cars between 2007 and 2010. However, the FCC did fine Google $ 25,000 for obstructing its investigation.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a national privacy watchdog, disagreed with the FCC findings. In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today, EPIC asked that the Department of Justice investigate Google's surreptitious collecting of Wi-Fi data from residential networks. U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey, a senior member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, has also stepped into the fray.

"The circumstances surrounding Google's siphoning of personal information leave many unanswered questions," Markey said today in an email to Computerworld. "I believe Congress should immediately hold a hearing to get to the bottom of this serious situation."

Internet: <www.computerworld.com> (adapted).

calls for a federal investigation came after the Federal Communications Commission found that Google did not break the law as it collected personal data on Wi-Fi networks.

Privacy groups and lawmakers are calling for a new and broader investigation into Google and its privacy practices after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it found no evidence that the company broke eavesdropping laws.

Late last week, the FCC reported that there was no legal precedent to find fault with Google collecting unprotected home Wi-Fi data, such as personal email, passwords and search histories, with its roaming Street View cars between 2007 and 2010. However, the FCC did fine Google $ 25,000 for obstructing its investigation.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a national privacy watchdog, disagreed with the FCC findings. In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today, EPIC asked that the Department of Justice investigate Google's surreptitious collecting of Wi-Fi data from residential networks. U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey, a senior member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, has also stepped into the fray.

"The circumstances surrounding Google's siphoning of personal information leave many unanswered questions," Markey said today in an email to Computerworld. "I believe Congress should immediately hold a hearing to get to the bottom of this serious situation."

Internet: <www.computerworld.com> (adapted).

Privacy groups and lawmakers are calling for a new and broader investigation into Google and its privacy practices after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that it found no evidence that the company broke eavesdropping laws.

Late last week, the FCC reported that there was no legal precedent to find fault with Google collecting unprotected home Wi-Fi data, such as personal email, passwords and search histories, with its roaming Street View cars between 2007 and 2010. However, the FCC did fine Google $ 25,000 for obstructing its investigation.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a national privacy watchdog, disagreed with the FCC findings. In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today, EPIC asked that the Department of Justice investigate Google's surreptitious collecting of Wi-Fi data from residential networks. U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey, a senior member of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, has also stepped into the fray.

"The circumstances surrounding Google's siphoning of personal information leave many unanswered questions," Markey said today in an email to Computerworld. "I believe Congress should immediately hold a hearing to get to the bottom of this serious situation."

Internet: <www.computerworld.com> (adapted).

Google has been imposed a penalty for obstructing an investigation by a US regulatory agency into its controversial data collection for its Street View project.

Technology Legislation

Technology-related legislation can have a huge impact on growing businesses, and some interesting issues are likely to pop up with the new Congress of the United States this year. Of great interest to growing businesses are the topics of data protection and net neutrality.

Laws that lay out more stringent requirements for retaining and protecting employee and customer data could be on the horizon. "The laws that apply to big business are going to trickle down to small business," says Ann Westerheim, founder and president of technology consulting firm Ekaru. "Businesses need to have that on their radar. You don't want to get hit with a fine because you're not complying." She suggests looking at laws like Sarbanes-Oxley to get an idea of where new tech laws could be heading.

The good news is that proper data protection is something businesses should be doing anyway. "A lot of the measures required to protect employee and customer data are just good business practices," says Westerheim. Growing businesses can head off potential compliance costs by gradually shoring up their IT security and data protection now.

Net neutrality is likely to be a hot issue again after stalling in the Senate last year. Net neutrality proponents want regulations to prevent network providers from prioritizing certain Internet traffic. "Net neutrality is a big issue for small businesses," says Westerheim. A net neutrality law stands a better chance of passing with strong Democratic backing this year, but it figures to be a hard-fought battle. Digital copyright issues could also come to the fore in Congress. With the changes brought about by the last election, it will be an interesting year for entrepreneurs to keep an eye on the goings-on in Washington.

Internet: <www.microsoft.com>.

Technology Legislation

Technology-related legislation can have a huge impact on growing businesses, and some interesting issues are likely to pop up with the new Congress of the United States this year. Of great interest to growing businesses are the topics of data protection and net neutrality.

Laws that lay out more stringent requirements for retaining and protecting employee and customer data could be on the horizon. "The laws that apply to big business are going to trickle down to small business," says Ann Westerheim, founder and president of technology consulting firm Ekaru. "Businesses need to have that on their radar. You don't want to get hit with a fine because you're not complying." She suggests looking at laws like Sarbanes-Oxley to get an idea of where new tech laws could be heading.

The good news is that proper data protection is something businesses should be doing anyway. "A lot of the measures required to protect employee and customer data are just good business practices," says Westerheim. Growing businesses can head off potential compliance costs by gradually shoring up their IT security and data protection now.

Net neutrality is likely to be a hot issue again after stalling in the Senate last year. Net neutrality proponents want regulations to prevent network providers from prioritizing certain Internet traffic. "Net neutrality is a big issue for small businesses," says Westerheim. A net neutrality law stands a better chance of passing with strong Democratic backing this year, but it figures to be a hard-fought battle. Digital copyright issues could also come to the fore in Congress. With the changes brought about by the last election, it will be an interesting year for entrepreneurs to keep an eye on the goings-on in Washington.

Internet: <www.microsoft.com>.

Technology Legislation

Technology-related legislation can have a huge impact on growing businesses, and some interesting issues are likely to pop up with the new Congress of the United States this year. Of great interest to growing businesses are the topics of data protection and net neutrality.

Laws that lay out more stringent requirements for retaining and protecting employee and customer data could be on the horizon. "The laws that apply to big business are going to trickle down to small business," says Ann Westerheim, founder and president of technology consulting firm Ekaru. "Businesses need to have that on their radar. You don't want to get hit with a fine because you're not complying." She suggests looking at laws like Sarbanes-Oxley to get an idea of where new tech laws could be heading.

The good news is that proper data protection is something businesses should be doing anyway. "A lot of the measures required to protect employee and customer data are just good business practices," says Westerheim. Growing businesses can head off potential compliance costs by gradually shoring up their IT security and data protection now.

Net neutrality is likely to be a hot issue again after stalling in the Senate last year. Net neutrality proponents want regulations to prevent network providers from prioritizing certain Internet traffic. "Net neutrality is a big issue for small businesses," says Westerheim. A net neutrality law stands a better chance of passing with strong Democratic backing this year, but it figures to be a hard-fought battle. Digital copyright issues could also come to the fore in Congress. With the changes brought about by the last election, it will be an interesting year for entrepreneurs to keep an eye on the goings-on in Washington.

Internet: <www.microsoft.com>.

Technology Legislation

Technology-related legislation can have a huge impact on growing businesses, and some interesting issues are likely to pop up with the new Congress of the United States this year. Of great interest to growing businesses are the topics of data protection and net neutrality.

Laws that lay out more stringent requirements for retaining and protecting employee and customer data could be on the horizon. "The laws that apply to big business are going to trickle down to small business," says Ann Westerheim, founder and president of technology consulting firm Ekaru. "Businesses need to have that on their radar. You don't want to get hit with a fine because you're not complying." She suggests looking at laws like Sarbanes-Oxley to get an idea of where new tech laws could be heading.

The good news is that proper data protection is something businesses should be doing anyway. "A lot of the measures required to protect employee and customer data are just good business practices," says Westerheim. Growing businesses can head off potential compliance costs by gradually shoring up their IT security and data protection now.

Net neutrality is likely to be a hot issue again after stalling in the Senate last year. Net neutrality proponents want regulations to prevent network providers from prioritizing certain Internet traffic. "Net neutrality is a big issue for small businesses," says Westerheim. A net neutrality law stands a better chance of passing with strong Democratic backing this year, but it figures to be a hard-fought battle. Digital copyright issues could also come to the fore in Congress. With the changes brought about by the last election, it will be an interesting year for entrepreneurs to keep an eye on the goings-on in Washington.

Internet: <www.microsoft.com>.

In the text, the verb to comply, in 'You don't want to get hit with a fine because you’re not complying', means to act in accordance with.

Technology Legislation

Technology-related legislation can have a huge impact on growing businesses, and some interesting issues are likely to pop up with the new Congress of the United States this year. Of great interest to growing businesses are the topics of data protection and net neutrality.

Laws that lay out more stringent requirements for retaining and protecting employee and customer data could be on the horizon. "The laws that apply to big business are going to trickle down to small business," says Ann Westerheim, founder and president of technology consulting firm Ekaru. "Businesses need to have that on their radar. You don't want to get hit with a fine because you're not complying." She suggests looking at laws like Sarbanes-Oxley to get an idea of where new tech laws could be heading.

The good news is that proper data protection is something businesses should be doing anyway. "A lot of the measures required to protect employee and customer data are just good business practices," says Westerheim. Growing businesses can head off potential compliance costs by gradually shoring up their IT security and data protection now.

Net neutrality is likely to be a hot issue again after stalling in the Senate last year. Net neutrality proponents want regulations to prevent network providers from prioritizing certain Internet traffic. "Net neutrality is a big issue for small businesses," says Westerheim. A net neutrality law stands a better chance of passing with strong Democratic backing this year, but it figures to be a hard-fought battle. Digital copyright issues could also come to the fore in Congress. With the changes brought about by the last election, it will be an interesting year for entrepreneurs to keep an eye on the goings-on in Washington.

Internet: <www.microsoft.com>.