Stories by Grant Gross

Business owner sentenced for E-Rate fraud

The former owner of two Illinois technology companies was sentenced Thursday to serve 30 months in prison for participating in a conspiracy to defraud a U.S. Federal Communications Commission program to help schools and libraries in poor areas connect to the Internet, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Website operator pleads guilty to terrorist threats

The founder of several Muslim jihad websites has pleaded guilty to three charges related to making online threats, including threatening the writers of the television show "South Park," the U.S. Department of Justice said.

EPIC sues FTC over Google's planned privacy changes

The Electronic Privacy Information Center has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, asking a court to force the agency to take action against Google over planned changes in the company's collection of personal data.

US gov't falling behind in social-media race, expert says

The U.S. government is losing a race in cyberspace -- a social-networking race for the hearts and minds of Internet users, a computer security expert said Wednesday.

FTC warns makers of background checking apps

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has sent warning letters to the makers of six mobile apps used for background checks, saying the apps may violate a consumer credit protection law.

Groups: Congress should scrap SOPA, PIPA and start over

The U.S. Congress should scrap two controversial copyright enforcement bills and start over with attempts to target foreign websites accused of infringement and counterfeiting, more than 70 groups have said.

Who really was behind the SOPA protests?

Some critics have blamed Silicon Valley tech firms for the massive online protests last month against two controversial copyright bills. Other groups have trumpeted the grassroots nature of the protests.

162,000 sign petition targeting Apple's Chinese factory conditions

An online petition asking Apple to protect the Chinese workers who make its more popular products has gathered more than 162,000 signatures in just over a week.

White House: No comment on call to investigate MPAA for SOPA bribery

The U.S. White House has declined to respond to a petition calling for authorities to investigate the head of the Motion Picture Association of America for bribery related to comments he made following successful online protests against two controversial copyright enforcement bills.

FCC overhauls telephone subsidy for the poor, adding broadband

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved an overhaul to its Lifeline program, which subsidizes telephone service for poor people, with the goals of saving money and allowing the subsidy to go toward broadband service.

Lawmakers question proposed change to video privacy law

Let's say you like to watch heady documentaries over Netflix's streaming service and would like to share recommendations with your friends on Facebook. Netflix would like to offer that service, but the company says a 24-year-old U.S. law is in the way.

AT&T appoints chief strategy officer

AT&T has appointed its first chief strategy officer to develop the company's road map, including long-term mobile capacity needs, the company announced Monday.

Cybersecurity report: All countries lag behind the bad guys

The US and UK are relatively well prepared for cyberattacks, compared to many other developed nations, but everyone has more work to do, according to a new cybersecurity study from McAfee and Security & Defence Agenda (SDA).

White House CTO Chopra leaving his post

Aneesh Chopra, who has served for the past two-and-a-half years as the first CTO for the U.S. government, is stepping down in early February.

Lawmakers question Google on its new privacy practices

Google's decision this week to share user data across its online services has caught the attention of eight members of the U.S. House of Representatives, with the lawmakers asking whether the changes will compromise privacy.