Business

Do you really believe your Web-based email is private? Let's start with Terms of Service or Privacy Policies, which few people actually read. In 1986, the Stored Communications Act was initially designed to protect telephone records, not Internet activity. There was not much Web activity then, since...

Microsoft said Monday that Windows and Windows Live President Steven Sinofsky will leave the company. Julie Larson-Green has been promoted to lead all Windows software and hardware engineering, and Tami Reller will assume responsibility for the business of Windows while retaining her role as chief f...

Facebook is testing a new version of its comments feature that elevates the most-engaged remarks on brand pages to the top of the list. The new format appears on the pages of celebrities and public individuals such as journalist Fareed Zakaria and quarterback Tim Tebow. "We are testing a new format ...

Groupon reported disappointing earnings for the third quarter, and shareholders soundly punished the company as a result. It posted a net loss of $3 million, compared with $54.2 million in the same quarter in 2011. Third-quarter revenue clocked in at $568.6 million, compared with $430.2 million a ye...

Priceline is picking up the travel search engine Kayak for $1.8 billion in a deal expected to broaden its mobile offerings and help it fend off unwelcome competition from new entrants to the online travel space. Kayak allows consumers to shop and compare prices on multiple travel sites, earning a re...

Sprint will acquire wireless spectrum and customers from U.S. Cellular in the Midwest, in a $480 million deal to expand its services in the area, the companies announced Wednesday. Under the agreement, Sprint will pick up segments of PCS spectrum in multiple Midwestern markets, including Chicago and...

AT&T on Wednesday announced that it will boost capital spending by as much as 16 percent to $22 billion a year for the next three years to upgrade its wireless and wireline networks. The increase is necessary to compete with Verizon Communications, which is currently upgrading its own network. T...

AT&T on Wednesday announced that it will boost capital spending by as much as 16 percent to $22 billion a year for the next three years to upgrade its wireless and wireline networks. The increase is necessary to compete with Verizon Communications, which is currently upgrading its own network. T...

Investors sent shares of AOL sharply higher after it reported higher-than-expected earnings and growth in advertising revenue. The company reported a third-quarter profit of $20.8 million, or 22 cents per share, on revenue of $531.7 million. That beat expectations of $521 million and marked a turnar...

A U.S. District Court judge has dismissed an Apple lawsuit alleging that Motorola Mobility abused its standard-essential patents by charging rates that exceeded FRAND terms. Apple's position was that 2.25 percent for each iPhone sold -- the rate Motorola Mobility apparently wanted to charge -- was e...

Hostile takeovers can be a bitter pill to swallow, but Netflix has adopted a "stockholder rights plan" -- also known as a "poison pill" -- to prevent activist shareholders from taking control. It could be a bitter pill for Carl Icahn, who last week bought a nearly 10 percent stake in the struggling ...

Just in time for its one-year anniversary of being a public company, Groupon's response to an SEC inquiry into its accounting practices was made public. It was an inauspicious reminder that to regulators and investors, Groupon -- once the tech industry's golden child -- remains a question mark. The ...

Google and Rosetta Stone reached a settlement in a trademark infringement case this week, ending a three year legal battle with a promise to work together to fight the misuse of trade names. In a 2009 lawsuit, Rosetta Stone claimed that Google allowed rival language software companies to use Rosetta...

U.S. Federal Trade Commission staff have recommended that Google should be sued for antitrust violations, and a majority of the agency's five commissioners appear inclined to do so, according to a report citing anonymous sources. The staff recommendations were made last month; however, they are not ...

Billionaire investor and activist shareholder Carl Icahn has acquired a 10 percent stake in Netflix, according to a Wednesday filing with the SEC. The value of the 5.5 million shares is about $169 million. Icahn Capital believes that Netflix is undervalued and positioned for expansion both in the U....