When a teenager named Alyson in Bloomington, Ill., posted a Twitter message earlier this week about her dog's penchant for Cheetos, she had no idea that her whereabouts were being broadcast globally on ICanStalkU.com. Using just the tweet, the site posted her full name and photo, highlighted her precise location on Google Maps, and linked to a picture of her toy poodle, Fendi, being offered one of the puffy, orange-colored snacks.

"This is absolutely shocking," said her mother, Gayl, whose name was easy to find on Alyson's account on MyLife.com, a website that helps people connect with friends and relatives. "I would never have thought that a Twitter message could circle somebody back to that amount of information and that amount of detail," added the mother, who asked that the family's surname not be published.

Fortunately, ICanStalkU.com is an educational tool designed to demonstrate how easily personal information can be compromised online. Some experts fear that as Americans increasingly gravitate to social media and Internet-enabled devices, laws to protect them are not keeping pace.

"We're moving to a society where all of our major transactions are going to occur online," said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, a watchdog group. "We need to create a set of safeguards, certainly around the most critical of those transactions."

With privacy breaches involving such Web giants as Facebook and Google regularly in the news, Congress and the Federal Trade Commission are poised to take action. But as consumer advocates make the case for stronger laws, powerful corporations and trade groups are trumpeting the virtues of self-policing.

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The commission's Paul deSa wrote a scathing blog post calling the Phoenix paper a "frothy mix of algebra and math jargon," that, he sarcastically notes, is anything but obvious to understand. DeSa is the chief of the Office of Strategic Planning.

The commission took on the report's primary assertion head on saying a better title would have been "23 pages of Theory Actually Says Nothing at All About the Practical Effect of FCC's Agenda on New Job Creation."

The Phoenix paper found that, over a five year period, various FCC proposals could result in the loss of 130,000 information-sector jobs and the loss in earnings of $36 billion due to a decline in investment. The Phoenix Center is a free-market think tank that focuses on telecommunications and technology, among other areas.

Adding insult to injury, deSa jested that it would be "fun to wander over to the Phoenix Center to sip lattes," while developing convoluted technological jargon, but the FCC "would rather do the hard work of implementing real-world policies that help incumbents and innovators create real jobs and investments."

DeSa faulted the think tank for overlooking actions the FCC has taken--unleashing new spectrum, and blessing the Verizon-Frontier merger, among others--that helped spur job creation.

"We appreciate the FCC's amazingly rapid analysis of a very complex econometric study that took us some months to complete," said George S. Ford, chief economist at the Phoenix Center. "While we certainly recognize and commend the FCC's efforts to promote [broadband] investments by proposing reforms such as lower rates for pole attachments...the hard reality is that the FCC has simultaneously proposed heavy-handed price regulation in its Open Internet Notice of Proposed Rulemaking." The result of such regulation on the Internet, Ford says, is disincentive for the private sector to invest and subsequently, job loss.

UPDATE: 4:38 pm

After reading the blog entry by deSa (Ford's comments were in response to statements deSa made Tuesday evening) The Phoenix Center responded again:

"While we always welcome the opportunity to sit down with our good friend Dr. de Sa to enjoy a beverage of his choice, we would like to make clear that our analysis was never meant to take away from the good work the FCC has done to develop and implement a truly excellent National Broadband Plan,"said Lawrence J. Spiwak, president of the Phoenix Center.

"As we and others have pointed out, the FCC risks sabotaging its own efforts by trying to impose common carrier regulation on broadband transport,"Spiwak added. "Our paper simply provides an econometric multiplier to measure the effect of these proposed regulations on jobs, finds this effect to be significant, and will serve to undermine any good that they've done."

"Reclassification is not much of a threat to prioritization," Hultquist said "the FCC has decades of precedence of tariffs that were deemed lawful for the provision of prioritization."

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski proposed placing broadband under Title II of the Communications Act, a more stringent regulatory regime, last spring when a court case cast doubt on the commission's authority over the Internet. Genachowski called his plan "the third way" saying he would exempt broadband from the more onerous provisions of Title II such as price controls.

Industry and many members of Congress oppose his plan while consumer advocates seeking to protect the openness of the Internet will settle for nothing less.

Hultquist's comment suggests that the FCC's third-way approach may not lend the commission the power to stop "paid prioritization", the most-feared practice by net neutrality advocates.

Paid prioritization, public interest groups say, will hurt average users by allowing corporate gatekeepers to pick winners and losers on the Internet. Internet service providers refute that claim arguing that providing businesses with premium service and individuals with quality connections is not a zero-sum game.

Hultquist's remarks came at a forum held by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation on the role of managed services on broadband networks. The AT&T executive also noted that Title II has "many warts" and that the net neutrality debate suffers from being hyper-political.

ITIF senior fellow Richard Bennett, who also spoke at the event, suggested that lawmakers need to develop a principle of non-discrimination that gives carriers the ability to prioritize content as needed for smooth performance.

The Future of Music Coalition, as part of two-day forum, hosts an 11:00 am policy panel to discuss ways government can foster the presence of music in American culture. Speakers include Ron Sims, Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Michael Bracy, co-founder and policy director, Future of Music Coalition.

Tuesday
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation hosts a 9:30 am discussion about the political landscape of the Internet. Speakers include ITIF president Rob Atkinson and Tech Daily Dose reporter, Juliana Gruenwald.

The Future of Music Coalition, as part of a two-day forum, hosts 10:00 am speech by Victoria Espinel, US Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at the Office of Management and Budget.

The New America Foundation hosts a 4:00 pm discussion on "Public Media in a Digital Age: Broadcast, Broadband and Beyond." Speakers include Josh Silver, president and CEO of Free Press and Mark Thompson, director general of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The Institute for Policy Innovation holds an evening reception on the Capitol as part of the communications summit, "Crisis or Opportunity : A Regulatory Crossroads"

Wednesday
The Institute for Policy Innovation holds a all-day communications forum, "Crisis or Opportunity : A Regulatory Crossroads." Speakers include Veronica Bloodworth, VP of network management at AT&T and Larry Plumb, executive director of emerging issues and technology policy at Verizon.

The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, introduced earlier this month by Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is on the Senate Judiciary Committee's agenda for its markup Thursday but the session could get postponed if the Senate decides to adjourn on Wednesday. The committee may take up the measure if Congress returns after November's midterm elections for a lame-duck session, a Leahy spokeswoman said.

Either way, CDT officials raised several alarms about the bill. The bill would give the Justice Department new authority to file a civil action against a domain name linked to a Web site trafficking in illegal copyrighted content or counterfeit goods asking a court to order the registrar, a firm that sells Internet domain name registrations to the public, that registered the domain name to shut it down. The measure also would give the Justice Department power to target foreign registrars or websites by requiring U.S.-based third parties to stop doing business with these foreign targets. This might include requiring a U.S.-based Internet service provider to block access to such sites or requiring a U.S. payment processor to block payments to the site.

"The Justice Department is currently limited in the remedies available to prevent websites dedicated to offering infringing content. These websites are often based overseas yet target American consumers," Leahy said when he introduced his bill earlier this month. He said his measure would "give the Department of Justice an expedited process for cracking down on these rogue websites, regardless of whether the website's owner is located inside or outside of the United States."

CDT official said the bill raises First Amendment concerns by calling for the seizure of domain names, which would lead to the shut down of some websites that might also include legal content. In addition, they note that in allowing the U.S. government to dictate which websites should be taken down, it would set a bad precedent for other governments who might target websites for reasons some might find objectionable.

Theresa Swinehart will serve as Verizon's new executive director of global Internet policy.

She most recently worked as vice president of global and strategic partnerships at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the nonprofit group picked in 1998 by the U.S. government to take over management of the Internet's domain name system. Prior to joining ICANN, Swinehart worked as director of global e-commerce for MCI/WorldCom.

She will report to Jacquelynn Ruff, Verizon's vice president of international public policy and regulatory affairs. In a statement, Ruff praised Swinehart's "deep expertise on Internet issues and experience working with policymakers and experts around the world."

"Each year, online piracy and the sale of counterfeit goods cost American businesses billions of dollars, and result in hundreds of thousands of lost jobs," said Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., a co-sponsor of the bill. "The Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act will protect the investment American companies make in developing brands and creating content and will protect the jobs associated with those investments."

The bill gives teeth to the Justice Department for enforcement by expediting the process for cracking down on websites that are dedicated to making infringing goods and services available. Under the bill, the Justice Department can file an in rem civil action against a domain name on Internet sites dedicated to infringing activities.

The in rem authority is modeled after provisions of the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. In rem specifies an action against a thing, property, or right, rather than a person.

"This legislation is critical to our continued fight against online piracy and counterfeiting," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a member of the Judiciary Committee and a co-sponsor of the legislation.

The entertainment industry and the Chamber of Commerce, who have been fighting for stronger intellectual property laws, applauded the introduction of the bill.

"Senator Leahy and the bill's cosponsors should be commended for introducing this important legislation to address the growing scourge of counterfeiting and piracy over the Internet," said David Hirschmann, president and CEO of the Chamber's unit on IP protection.

President of the Motion Pictures Association of America Bob Pisano thanked lawmakers for combating "efforts to steal the lifeblood of one of our nation's most important industries."

Members of the Judiciary Committee cosponsoring the measure include Sens. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., Arlen Specter, D-Pa., Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

"We have never been a friendly place for criminal activity," said Elizabeth McDougall, counsel to Craigslist on online safety, security and abuse. McDougall and her colleague, William Powell, director of customer service and law enforcement relations at Craigslist, said the company has taken robust measures to combat this problem.

"Craigslist has been one of the bright spots in the fight against human trafficking," Powell said. The company has a long history of collaboration with law enforcement and responsiveness on this issue, he added.

Criticism against Craigslist gained national momentum in August when a group of attorneys general wrote to the company, urging it to close the adult services section of their U.S. site on grounds it helps promote sex trafficking. On Sept. 3, Craigslist responded by closing down the adult services category on its U.S. site. But that category is available on the company's international sites.

Powell told lawmakers there is no intention to reinstate the adult services category on the U.S. site. It remains unclear whether the adult services will be taken down on the sites of other countries.

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States are preempted from regulating Internet telephony, also known as voice over Internet protocol (VoIP), the companies say, citing a 2004 FCC order.

Nebraska and Kansas have petitioned the FCC for a ruling that would allow states to collect fees on VoIP services for the Universal Service Fund. According to sources familiar with the situation, the FCC is considering a declaratory ruling that would accomplish as much.

The Telecom industry letter echoes sentiments expressed earlier this week by Energy and Commerce ranking member Joe Barton, R-Texas, and Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., the ranking member on the panel's Communications subcommittee.

Barton and Stearns encouraged the FCC to explore any changes to this order through a notice of proposed rulemaking, rather than a declaratory ruling. The former would offer opportunity for lengthier consideration and commentary from outside parties.

According to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the law has already made clear that Internet telephony services are obliged to contribute to state Universal Service Funds. "There is no dispute on the law," said Brad Ramsay, the association's general counsel.

In 2008, Vonage, the preeminent Internet telephony provider, filed a disclosure document with the FCC stating that the company has no objections to contributing to state Universal Service Funds, provided that federal law does not preempt their inclusion.

"Vonage wants a rulemaking to delay its obligation to pay - as its competitors pay - to support State programs," Ramsay said.

During a discussion on how to implement the recommendations included in the Obama administration's Joint Strategic Plan on Intellectual Property Enforcement, LegitScript President John Horton and others talked about the importance of getting those involved in the infrastructure of the Internet to help crack down on those who provide pirated or counterfeit products. Horton pointed in particular to the role that registrars, the firms that sell Internet domain name registrations, can play in protecting intellectual property.

Horton in particular called on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, which manages the Internet's domain name system, to crack down on registrars that violate their accreditation agreements with ICANN, which bars domain names from being used for illegal activities. Citing a recent report from an Internet security research company called KnujOn.com, Horton claimed some registrars have become safe havens for rogue online pharmacies. "Without their [registrars] sponsorship of the illicit transaction structure, the problem would not exist," the report said.

An ICANN spokesman did not have an immediate response to a request for comment.

Horton noted that Google, Microsoft and Yahoo now require that online pharmacies that want to advertise with them to be accredited by a program run by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy.

Horton said such cooperation "highlights the importance of continuing down that road in encouraging domain name registrars ..., ISPs [Internet service providers] and other companies and say look in all these areas related to intellectual property, in my area rogue Internet pharmacies, there is no reason to knowingly facilitate criminal activity including activity that violates intellectual property. Those are the choke points of the Internet."

Mark Esper, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Global Intellectual Property Center, said he thinks search engines, ISPs and others "want to do the right thing." He added that it is up to the IP community and others to work with Internet intermediaries to find a "commercially reasonable way" to help curb Internet piracy and counterfeiting.

Despite the crash of the so-called .com companies a decade ago, the number of Internet addresses ending with .com continues to grow by about 668,000 a month, maintaining its dominance as the top Internet address even though the number of generic Internet addresses has grown to 21. The report notes that .coms have accounted for about $400 million in economic benefits to businesses and consumers - a figure that the study's authors predict will double in the next decade.

When the National Science Foundation opened up the Internet, which was still primarily a research tool, in 1985 to commercial businesses, "little did they know ... they were creating one of the biggest technical revolutions in world history," ITIF President Robert Atkinson said at news conference.

To help sustain the e-commerce growth, the report recommends adoption of policies that enable the deployment of new technologies such as wired and wireless broadband, mobile payment platforms and health information technology. It also calls on policymakers to remove regulatory and legal barriers that hamper new e-business models; create incentives for companies to invest in Internet-related business practices; and advance polices to promote digital literacy.

VeriSign, the firm that administers the database of all the .com Internet addresses, is holding a policy forum Tuesday to celebrate the 25th anniversary of .com featuring a keynote address from former President Bill Clinton.

The Trademark Clearinghouse is expected to serve "as a central repository for information to be authenticated, stored, and disseminated" relating to the rights of trademark owners.

"In forming this trademark clearinghouse, we've listened to our community about providing trademark protection," ICANN board Chairman Peter Dengate Thrush said in a statement following the nonprofit corporation's meeting this week in Nairobi, Kenya. "We've also adopted an extremely rapid process by which people or organizations can challenge trademark infringement."

The board also rejected a proposal to implement an "expression of interest," a pre-registration process for those wishing to apply for new generic Internet addresses, also known as domain names. Under procedures it previously approved, ICANN plans to expand the number of generic top-level domain names from the current list of 21, which include .com, .net, and .org, and could include almost any word in most languages.

"If you have a monopoly what do you have? You have the most expensive Internet access rates in the world and where are those? Largely in Africa," Beckstrom said. "How can the poorest people on earth pay the highest rates for Internet access. It's an incredible brake on development."

It was one four challenges Beckstrom urged Africa's leaders to take on when they meet Tuesday at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, which is taking place at the same conference center as ICANN's meeting. The group of six East African nations is focused on increasing coordination of development and drought control measures.

The other issues he urged the African leaders to address include dispelling myths being circulated in Africa that the new Internet addresses created by the next-generation Internet protocol IPv6 are not available to Africans; to urge more African countries to participate in ICANN by joining its Government Advisory Committee; and to view the Internet as more than just an "industrial structure but please view it as a platform for development."

Beckstrom noted that while 15 percent of the world's population lives in Africa, Africans make up less than 7 percent of all Internet users. "The internet ... is perhaps the most sustainable platform for development," he said.

In May, Frank introduced legislation to put off the execution of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, which is slated to take effect Dec. 1, 2009. Lawmakers have complained that the rules were completed by the Bush administration at the last minute and his bill would stop regulators from enforcing the measure until Congress has had a chance to decide national policy. Frank also sponsored legislation to create a federal regulatory and enforcement framework under which online gambling operators could obtain licenses allowing them to accept bets from individuals in the United States.

National Thoroughbred Racing Asssociation, the American Greyhound Track Operators Association and the Poker Players Alliance has petitioned the Obama administration to extend the date of compliance for 12 months. A copy of the letter from Frank, King and others can be found here.

Anderson did note, however, that "many member offices do maintain archives" anyway. New rules adopted by the committee in October allow members to maintain Web sites in addition to their official House.gov site and post material on third-party Web sites so long as it complies with federal law and House rules and regulations applicable to official communications. He said the initial discussion to update the rules focused on posting video within House domains but regulations that passed do not specifically indicate video. "The new rules can be interpreted as allowing for Members to have Facebook and MySpace presence," he said.

Members of Congress have started to use their own YouTube channels and post videos directly from their Washington offices. Google announced Monday that it was launching a Senate Hub and House Hub. -- Winter Casey