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N.J. mayor arrested on hacking, conspiracy charges

The mayor of West New York, New Jersey, was arrested together with his son on Thursday, for allegedly hacking into a website that criticized him and his administration.

Minn. executive branch picks Microsoft to improve email, collaboration

The Executive Branch of the Minnesota state government uses cloud-hosted Microsoft email and collaboration software, first as part of BPOS and later, Office 365.

GAO: U.S. gov't IT reform slower than claimed

The efforts of President Barack Obama's administration to streamline and improve the government's IT systems aren't proceeding as quickly as officials have suggested, a federal auditor said Thursday.

Obama orders agencies to optimize Web content for mobile

U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered all major government agencies to make two key services available on mobile phones within a year, in an effort to embrace a growing trend toward Web surfing on mobile devices.

Education group: Schools need 100Mbps per 1,000 broadband users

U.S. schools will need broadband networks capable of speeds of 100Mbps for very 1,000 students and staff members by the 2014-15 academic year, according to the State Educational Technology Directors Association.

Utah CTO takes fall for data breach

The executive director of Utah's Department of Technology Services has resigned over a data breach two months ago that exposed the Social Security numbers of about 280,000 Medicaid recipients.

What Tech Issues Loom Large for Election 2012?

After three-and-a-half years of Obama's presidency, progressive and conservatives have developed pointed assessments of his administration's handling of tech policy issues. From cybersecurity to net neutrality, how does the tech agenda fit into the fall election?

Megaupload files motion to delay civil suit

Megaupload filed a motion in federal court on Thursday asking to delay a civil suit filed against the file-sharing site while it prepares a defense for its criminal case.

FCC launches new mobile broadband subsidy

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has begun the process to get competitive bids for new mobile broadband subsidies designed to bring 3G or 4G service to areas in the country that do not have it.

BART defends mobile service shutdown to the FCC

Disrupting mobile phone service is a legitimate tool for law enforcement authorities working against terrorism or other dangerous situations, a mass transit agency has said in defending its own mobile shutdown last August.

Privacy group calls for hearings on Google StreetView snooping

U.S. lawmakers should reopen an investigation into the snooping on Wi-Fi networks by Google's Street View cars because of information in a U.S. Federal Communications Commission report that suggests several people at Google knew of the spying, a privacy group said Monday.

AT&T, Google among top lobbying spenders in Q1

AT&T spent nearly $7.1 million on lobbying Congress and President Barack Obama's administration in the first quarter of 2012, making it the leading corporate spender on lobbying, with Google, Comcast and Verizon Communications also making the top five.

FTC hires outside attorney in Google antitrust case

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has hired an outside litigator to lead its antitrust investigation of Google, a possible sign that the FTC is preparing to file a lawsuit against the search and advertising giant.

House passes measure to detail gov't spending online

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill focused on helping taxpayers track federal spending online.

Obama moves to block sales of surveillance tech to Syria, Iran

U.S. President Barack Obama has signed an executive order allowing the U.S. government to block the sale of any technology used to track or monitor dissidents in Syria and Iran by the governments there.

Lawmakers question FAA on privacy protections around drone use

Two senior lawmakers are asking the Federal Aviation Administration to explain how the agency will ensure that privacy rights are protected when it issues drone licenses to government, law enforcement and private organizations.

The sorry state of federal IPv6 support

U.S. federal government agencies must meet an aggressive deadline of Sept. 30, 2012, to deploy IPv6 on their public-facing websites, under an Obama administration initiative. But with less than five months to go, more than 99% of federal websites aren't supporting the next-gen Internet Protocol on their DNS, email and Web services.

U.S. consumers turn to Facebook, Twitter for healthcare answers

A survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers shows that many now use social networks to discover healthcare information and then turn to those same sites to voice their opinions about their own experiences.

Data Transparency Coalition wants more open gov't data

The U.S. government still publishes data in too many formats and requires contractors or grant recipients to send it information in multiple formats, according to a new coalition of tech vendors.

India's $35 tablet mired in disputes, fewer than 10,000 shipped

India's US$35 tablet has yet to take off, with less than 10,000 units of the device released to the market since its October launch, despite considerable interest from consumers, an executive of maker DataWind said Monday.