4 posts and columns on officials

Ball Gag Starting to Look Like a Good Idea for Google CEO

in News on February 8, 2011 at 11:30 am PT

Eric Schmidt recently joked in a tweet that he was stepping down as Google CEO because the company’s younger co-founders no longer needed “adult supervision.” Or wanted it–at least not the kind that Schmidt’s been offering recently, which was on display once again today in yet another PR gaffe.

Shhh! The FCC Says It Will Approve Comcast–NBC U Deal

in Media on December 23, 2010 at 8:22 am PT

Some non-news from Washington: The Federal Communications Commission says it will approve the Comcast-NBC Universal deal, with some restrictions. The approval isn’t a surprise, though it’d be nice to tell you what those restrictions are. Alas, for now, we can’t.

News Byte

BlackBerry Gradually Getting More Spy-Friendly in India

in News on October 1, 2010 at 11:03 am PT

Indian officials are reporting a bit of progress today toward their requirement that Research in Motion and the nation’s telecoms make BlackBerry communications accessible to security agencies. Home Minister G.K. Pillai told Reuters that authorities can now get printouts of BlackBerry Messenger conversations within four or five hours of making the request to RIM. They are hoping to have real-time access by the end of the year, he said. The means to monitor BlackBerry’s encrypted corporate email system remains elusive, however.

Sun Open-Sources U.S. Antibribery Laws

in News on May 8, 2009 at 11:39 am PT

A couple bombshells in Sun Microsystems’s latest 10-Q filing. Seems the company believes it may have violated the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which bans bribery of foreign government officials. Oh, and some of its shareholders are suing to block its acquisition by Oracle.
bribery