Motorola Mobility acquires 4Home; FTC proposes 'do not track' concept to foil Web marketers

> Motorola (NYSE: MOT) has stepped up its efforts in the home networking space by acquiring software specialist 4Home as a way to provide "a wealth of services and software applications that offer consumers control and information for their digital lives," Dan Moloney, president of Motorola Mobility said in a news release.

> Meanwhile, speaking at Reuters Global Media Summit in Paris, the globe-trotting Dan Moloney, aforementioned president of Motorola Mobility would have stopped presses worldwide (if those things still existed) by announcing that the company is "busy working on a standalone device that will be capable of wirelessly streaming video to tablets and phones in the home." Who'dve thunk it? Story.

> Since "do not call" works so well (you mean it doesn't?) the FTC thinks its time to step into the Internet with a "do not track" concept that would restrict some types of Web marketing. "Most of the commission believes it's time for a Do Not Track mechanism," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. Most of the country also thinks it's time for a stronger Do Not Call mechanism, Jon. Story.

> Since world wars start over the littlest things--shooting an archduke, for instance--it's really no laughing matter that the British are feeling threatened by the broadband capabilities of their neighboring countries. Still, you do have to chuckle a bit at this headline: "Frenchies, Germans wave fat pipes at embarrassed Brits." Who said good yellow journalism was dead? Story.

And finally... speaking of embarrassing, WikiLeaks' reports that U.S. diplomats were concerned that Canadians were delivering "insidious negative" stereotypes about the U.S. on television range beyond incredulous--especially the part about a cable from a top Canadian U.S. embassy official saying that the U.S. must do "everything we can to make it more difficult for Canadians to fall into the trap of seeing all U.S. policies as the result of nefarious faceless U.S. bureaucrats anxious to squeeze their northern neighbor." No wonder initial reports were that the WikiLeaks files would be embarrassing. Story.