FTC Gen. Counsel William Kovacic resigns effective Dec. 31 to resume teaching law at George Washington U.; deputy John Graubert is acting gen. counsel.
About 54 million adults have used the Internet to take a “virtual tour” of another location, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The survey found that older Internet users are more likely to take online virtual tours, which include museums, tourist locales, colleges and prep schools, real estate, historical exhibits, parks and nature preserves, famous places like the White House and Taj Mahal, and hotel and motels. The survey found that 45% of American adults took some form of online tour. While just 37% of “Generation Y” (ages 18-27) have taken an online tour, 52% of young Baby Boomers (ages 40-49) have taken virtual tours. The survey also found that more urban Internet users (51%) have taken tours than rural users (42%.)
The communications and technology sectors spent $138 million on lobbying during the first 6 months of 2004, the nonpartisan group Political Money Line found based on its survey of 2004 lobbying expenditures. Leading the way was SBC, which spent $5.7 million on lobbying. USTA spent $4.7 million, and computer software manufacturers spent $18.9 million, including $5.4 million by Microsoft and $3.5 million by IBM. The study, which reviewed all lobbying spending over the first 6 months of the year, found that more than $1 billion was spent on lobbying, and predicted that nearly $2 billion would be spent by year’s end. Figures for the 2nd half of 2004 are expected in Feb. The survey found that the communications and technology sector was the 2nd-leading sector in expenditures, following the health care industry. Top spender was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, at $20 million. Microsoft’s $900,000 payment to Covington & Burlington was the 8th-largest of any single client payment listed.
Cal.’s new information privacy law takes effect Jan. 1, 2005. Civil Code 1798.83 orders companies with more than 20 employees to tell Cal. customers what they do with their private information, upon request. Companies must respond within 30 days with contact information for any 3rd-party vendors who have received the data. Businesses exempt from the law include financial institutions, credit bureaus and companies that already offer opt-out privacy policies.