The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating the privacy and security implications of cloud computing, according to a recent filing with the Federal Communications Commission.

The FTC, which shares jurisdiction over broadband issues, says it recognizes the potential cost-savings cloud computing can provide. "However, the storage of data on remote computers may also raise privacy and security concerns for consumers," wrote David Vladeck, who helms the FTC's Consumer Protection Bureau.

"For example, the ability of cloud computing services to collect and centrally store increasing amounts of consumer data, combined with the ease with which such centrally stored data may be shared with others, create a risk that larger amounts of data may be used by entities not originally intended or understood by consumers," the filing says.

The FTC is also looking at identity management systems — i.e., how people authenticate their identities when logging into websites — and how they can better protect citizens' privacy. 

Both examinations are part of a "broader initiative" to investigate various models for privacy. The agency is holding a roundtable Jan. 28 to focus on privacy protections. It will include specific discussions about cloud computing, identity management, mobile computing and social networking. 

SearchCloudComputing.com wrote in this post that cloud computing will continue to spread in 2010, but its growth will be relatively incremental. Security continues to be a concern with the technology.

My colleague Jordan Fabian over in our Twitter Room points to a site, GovLive tweets, that pulls together tweets from government agencies. He notes that the tweets appear to be coming mostly from local governments. He has more info here.

Cross posted on Twitter Room

Free Press, Consumers Union, New America Foundation and Public Knowledge are among the public interest groups pushing Congress, the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department to investigate the "TV Everywhere" initiative. The groups say it is an attempt by phone, satellite and cable companies to stamp out competition by requiring consumers to pay for a pay-TV subscription to access online programming.

Comcast was the first to announce the initiative Dec. 15, branded "Fancast Xfinity." Free Press immediately attacked it as being anti-competitive. (Check this post out for views about the future of online programming; UBS predicts by 2012, the bulk of online video will be paid content.

Parul Desai of Media Access Project said, "This is an important test for Congress and the antitrust authorities to make sure dominant old media companies don't kill off potential sources of innovative, new competition just as consumers are getting accustomed to the possibility of that new competition."

Comcast has said the "TV Everywhere" product is meant to let paying subscribers access a wider variety of content on platforms other than their TV.

The letter sent to antitrust regulators can be found here, and Free Press's report on the matter is here.

The Washington Post ran this story today about the news.

There was a lot of love in Congress for late pop icon Michael Jackson this past year following the singer's death in June: A moment of silence was held June 26, and numerous members gave tributes to the "King of Pop" on the House floor, including Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill.).

But it doesn't stop there. On Thursday, Jackson's groundbreaking 1983 music video "Thriller" was inducted into the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, one of 25 films selected annually by the Librarian of Congress for their significant contributions to American cultural history. "Thriller" is the first music video ever to receive the honor.

The only hitch may be actually getting a legitimate copy of the film: "Thriller's" director, John Landis, sued Jackson in early 2009 for unpaid royalties.

Other flicks inducted this year include "The Muppet Movie" (1979) and "Jezebel" (1938).

Cross Posted on Washington Scene

Condoleezza Rice is on the board of directors for a new energy company hoping to take advantage of cap-and-trade legislation.

The former secretary of state, who has been teaching political science at Stanford University since the end of the Bush administration, is taking a leading role in a start-up straight out of the university known for its technological prowess. The stealth start-up, called C3, is hoping to make carbon cap-and-trade systems for businesses, according to TechCrunch.

Rice isn't the only politically connected player on the board. C3 also counts former Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham.

The company is the brainchild of Thomas Siebel, founder of Siebel Systems, which was bought by Cisco in 2005 for $5.7 billion. Siebel is no political slouch himself — he took a lead role in introducing vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin to California.

Rice's involvement in the company could suggest it is planning on going international, leveraging her experience and relationships on a global scale.

Little is known about the company, which is keeping much meaningful information under wraps. But according to filings with the SEC, it has secured about $26 million in private funding.

Of course, the company's future viability depends on whether Congress adopts a cap-and-trade system, which the Obama administration has been pushing for.

Let's hope 2010 is a better year for venture-backed start-ups.

The last two years have been the slowest consecutive years for venture-backed companies entering the public markets since 1974 and 1975, according to Thomson Reuters and National Venture Capital Association.

But the last quarter of 2009 did show some "promising signs of life," the groups said this morning, with five venture-backed initial public offerings (IPOs) valued at $649.3 million. That's a slight uptick from the third quarter of 2009, but far short of historical norms. For the full year, there were 13 venture-backed IPOs (doubling 2008 activity) and 262 mergers and acquisitions. Mergers and acquisitions made up the bulk of exits for venture-backed firms, with $215.9 million in deals during the fourth quarter--the highest quarterly average since the fourth quarter of 2007.

"While 2009 was a year many venture capitalists and entrepreneurs would choose to soon forget, the fourth quarter offered signs of hope for the coming year in terms of improved exit activity," said Mark Heesen, president of NVCA.

Start-ups are a the source of a large portion of the innovation that administration officials and lawmakers talk so often about. If venture capitalists can't get a return from investing in the start-ups, they aren't able to continue investing in new ones.

A California telecommunications company has agreed to pay $3 million in fines after facing charges it bribed workers at state-owned firms in China.

Alameda-based UTStarcom agreed to pay a $1.5 million penalty to the Securities and Exchange Commission to settle charges it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Separately, UTStarcom also agreed to pay an additional $1.5 million fine to the Department of Justice, according to a release from the SEC.

Online retail sales during the Christmas shopping season increased by 5 percent over last year, according to a new report.

Shoppers raised their total online purchases between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 by $27 billion, according to the report released Wednesday by ComScore.

In 2008, online sales dropped by 3 percent as the financial crisis intensified and consumer confidence plummeted.

Proposed rules and standards for electronic health records technology included in the $787 billion stimulus bill were released Thursday by the administration.

The announcement on the government’s Federal Register website launches a public comment period in which groups representing different facets of the healthcare and technology industries will lobby for changes.

The rules and standards impact not only doctors and hospitals, but companies like Microsoft and Google, which have both developed Web-based software for keeping health records.