Law

The U.S. Justice Department will be allowed access to WikiLeaks-related Twitter accounts, including information about what Internet and e-mail addresses are associated with them, a federal district judge ruled today.

The 60-page ruling from U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady in Virginia represents a second victory for the Department of Justice, which sought the court order as part of a grand jury probe that appears to be investigating whether WikiLeaks principals including editor Julian Assange violated American criminal laws.

"The Twitter order did not violate the Constitution," O'Grady concluded. In addition, he said, there was … Read more

A Senate bill introduced today has reignited a long-simmering debate over whether Americans should be required to pay Internet sales taxes when they go shopping online.

The legislation, which CNET reported on last week, would allow states to force Amazon.com, Overstock.com, Blue Nile, and other out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes.

It was introduced by Sens. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and is backed by Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Home Depot, and other companies that have stores in nearly every state and are currently required to collect sales taxes in both their physical … Read more

The White House today threatened to veto a proposal to overturn the federal government's controversial Net neutrality regulations.

Opponents of the rules, which the Federal Communications Commission adopted by a 3-2 party line vote last December, have scheduled a Senate vote this week that would lift the regulations before they take effect on November 20.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Texas) said today that the administration's enthusiasm for Internet regulation is another example of its anti-business outlook.

The Internet, she said, "has been the cradle of innovation, it does not have a problem, and it does not need … Read more

eBay is preparing to battle an Internet sales tax proposal targeting small businesses that do even $1 of online sales a year.

The San Jose, Calif.-based auction site is alarmed by forthcoming legislation, reported yesterday by CNET, that would allow states to require taxes to be collected from even very small out-of-state Internet retailers--some of eBay's best customers, in other words.

While similar tax proposals have circulated for years, earlier versions exempted small sellers with less than $5 million in revenue. Then the exemption dropped to $1 million. Now the proposed cutoff in a draft bill from Republican … Read more

Two U.S. senators are trying to prevent their colleagues from rushing to embrace Internet sales taxes, CNET has learned.

Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) are planning to introduce a resolution today saying that no laws should be enacted that would let states impose "burdensome or unfair" taxes on Internet retailers.

Their resolution is a preemptive attack on a Republican-backed bill that, as CNET reported this morning, would allow states to force Amazon.com, Newegg.com, and other out-of-state retailers to collect sales taxes. That bill is expected to be announced later this week … Read more

The days of tax-free Internet shopping may soon be coming to an abrupt end.

CNET has learned that two Republican senators are preparing to introduce new legislation that would allow states to force Amazon.com and other out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes.

Sens. Mike Enzi of Wyoming and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee are currently putting the final touches on their bill, which is backed by Wal-Mart Stores, Best Buy, Home Depot, and other companies that are currently required to collect sales taxes. It's a bipartisan concept: a related effort was embraced by Democrats including Sen. Dick Durbin … Read more

Controversy over a new copyright bill continues to grow in Washington, D.C., with both proponents and detractors signing up new allies and sharpening their rhetoric. Even pop icon Justin Bieber has made an appearance.

The Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, introduced last week in the House of Representatives to the applause of lobbyists for Hollywood and other large content holders, is designed to make allegedly copyright-infringing Web sites, sometimes called "rogue" Web sites, virtually disappear from the Internet.

That goes too far and hinders freedom of speech and innovation, the Consumer Electronics Association, NetCoalition, and the … Read more

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, the California Democrat whose district includes the heart of Silicon Valley, is preparing to lead congressional opposition to the new Stop Online Piracy Act.

The antipiracy legislation, introduced yesterday in the House of Representatives to the applause of lobbyists for Hollywood and other large content holders, is designed to make allegedly copyright-infringing Web sites, sometimes called "rogue" Web sites, virtually disappear from the Internet.

"I'm still reviewing the legislation, but from what I've already read, this would mean the end of the Internet as we know it," Lofgren told CNET.

Lofgren, … Read more

Hollywood's lobbyists have launched a bold new anti-piracy offensive in Washington that will face strong opposition from Internet companies and users who worry it goes too far and jeopardizes free speech rights.

A dozen members of the U.S. House of Representatives today announced they've jointly introduced a new bill intended to make allegedly copyright-infringing Web sites, sometimes called "rogue" Web sites, virtually disappear from the Internet.

The bill, called the Stop Online Piracy Act (PDF)--although because the sponsors dubbed the Web-blocking portions the "E-PARASITE Act," it's likely to become known by … Read more