Audio and custom installers aren't worried about Amazon and are focusing on helping customers with home networks, ProSource CEO David Workman told the group's meeting in Nashville Sunday. “Their share of market in television is only about 9 percent,” he said of large-panel TVs. Amazon didn't comment Monday. On average, homes have 10 devices connected to the network, forecast to jump to 50 in five years, Workman said. Consumers largely don’t understand what they need to do to keep networks stable or prepare for the future, he said. “Things are changing constantly, and it all hangs on the network.” This is "one of the most dynamic periods of technology,” Workman said: It’s confusing for dealers, let alone customers.

IBM opposes including intermediary liability protections -- like those contained in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act -- in updates currently under consideration in North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations, announced IBM Vice President-Government and Regulatory Affairs Christopher Padilla Thursday. With those protections, online platforms are free from liability for user content. As evidenced by the recent House approval of Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (HR-1865) (see 1802270057), “there is no longer a U.S. consensus that internet media companies should enjoy automatic blanket immunity from legal liability,” Padilla said, arguing it’s nonsensical to export a legal model that's increasingly being questioned domestically. Internet Association Senior Vice President-Global Government Affairs Melika Carroll emailed a statement Friday, saying the entire tech sector and broader business community continue to support intermediary liability protections in trade agreements. “These provisions preserve free speech, benefit consumers around the world, and enable untold value for American entrepreneurs well beyond the internet economy,” Carroll said.

Consumers reported $19 million in losses to FTC for internet fraud in 2017, which accounted for 14 percent of all fraud reports, the agency announced Thursday in its annual such data. There were 45,093 reports of fraud related to internet services, and the median loss was $183. Complaints for fraud, identity theft and “other types of consumer concerns” dropped from about 3 million in 2016 to 2.7 million last year. Consumers reported losing $63 million more to fraud than in 2016, with a total of $905 million in 2017. The No. 1 complaint was fraud, accounting for about 41 percent of the 2.7 million reports. Identity theft was second, at about 14 percent of complaints, with credit card fraud the most common complaint in that category. Commissioner Terrell McSweeny tweeted Thursday that the agency “needs stronger enforcement & regulatory tools to address this persistent and costly problem plaguing Americans.” Consumer Protection Bureau acting Director Tom Pahl said data “underscores the importance of the FTC’s work in educating consumers and cracking down on the scammers.” Across all fraud complaints, the median financial loss was $429. Consumers in their 20s reported losing to fraud more often than elderly counterparts. Of those ages 22 to 29 reporting fraud, 40 percent said they lost money, and 18 percent of filers 70 years and older reported losing money.

Russian agents spread social media propaganda in an attempt to divide U.S. opinion on energy issues between 2015 and 2017, said a majority staff report released by House Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, Thursday. The report said Russia spread about 9,000 posts and tweets across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in the two-year span, and Russia’s Internet Research Agency held 4,334 social media accounts. Smith suggested Russia’s energy interests in Europe were motivation for manipulating opinions about pipelines, fossil fuels, fracking, climate change and other hot-button issues. The Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington did not comment.

FTC members 2-0 agreed to Sears' request to let it use some tracking software without telling customers, changing a 2009 settlement that the retailer didn't fully disclose what personal information it collected via app when offering people $10 to install research software on their computers. "While mobile applications are still covered under the modified Order, the Commission added exceptions to the definition of 'Tracking Application' that exclude software that tracks only the configuration of the software program or application itself; information regarding whether the software program or application is functioning as represented; or information regarding consumers’ use of the program or application itself," the FTC announced Wednesday. A dozen comments were made on the request, with some seeking changes to what the company sought or having concerns. The company's petition overall is "deeply lacking in supporting facts, and would set a precedent deleterious to consumer interests," said the World Privacy Forum. Consumers Union, Consumer Federation of America and the Center for Digital Democracy asked the agency "to limit the language of Sears’s third requested exception to the definition of 'Tracking Application' to apply only to instances in which information to be obtained is reasonably expected and necessary to perform a service or transaction the consumer has requested." The new order addressed such concerns, saying some weren't likely to occur or not technically likely. The decision "will help allow the many mobile apps provided by Sears to compete on an equal footing with others in the marketplace," emailed a company spokesman without answering our specific questions. He said the commission recognizes "the mobile ecosystem has changed dramatically since 2009. In that time Sears has expanded its mobile apps offerings to support and encompass everything from shopping at Sears and Kmart to controlling your smart Kenmore appliances."

Google isn't responsible for the “defamation” of a Washington, D.C., businesswoman who sued the company over a critical blog post published by her former client, a federal court ruled Friday. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled against Dawn Bennett, owner of DJ Bennett, a high-end sports apparel retailer. According to court filings, Bennett sued Google in 2016 for failing to remove a post written by Scott Pierson, founder of The Executive SEO Agency, whom Bennett hired to provide search engine optimization services for $20,000 in 2013. Court documents show there was an issue with the fifth and final payment for Pierson, and he allegedly threatened Bennett, saying: “I know things. I can do things, and I will shut down your website.” Pierson then published a blog post titled, “DJ Bennett-think-twice-bad business ethics,” on Google. Filings said Bennett told Pierson to remove the post, and when he refused, her attorney contacted Google, asking it to remove the post because it violated Google’s guidelines for appropriate blog material. Friday’s decision upheld a previous trial judge ruling, concluding the Communications Decency Act “immunized” Google from liability for publication of third-party content. If “Bennett takes issue with Pierson’s post, her legal remedy is against Pierson himself as the content provider, not against Google as the publisher,” the D.C. Circuit ruled, concluding Google held no editorial discretion over the post. Bennett didn't comment Monday.

An Arkansas man was sentenced Friday to 33 months in federal prison for aiding and abetting computer intrusions by developing and selling his NanoCore RAT and Net Seal malware to individuals who then used it to conduct such intrusions as surreptitiously activating webcams, DOJ said. It said U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady of Alexandria, Virginia, also ordered that Taylor Huddleston, 27, of Hot Springs, serve two years of supervised release after his prison sentence. DOJ said Huddleston pleaded guilty in July.

The Information Technology Industry Council and USTelecom said Friday they're creating the Council to Secure the Digital Economy (CSDE) to find solutions to cybersecurity threats to the tech and telecom sectors, including data breaches. Akamai, AT&T, Intel, Samsung and Verizon are among the group's founding members. CSDE membership “reflects a shared commitment across the leadership of the global information and communications technology sector to pursue security mitigation as intensely as digital innovation,” said USTelecom President Jonathan Spalter in a news release. The group “is committed to building a more resilient ecosystem for consumers, businesses, and the public through improved cybersecurity, trust, accountability, and engagement with government,” said ITI CEO Dean Garfield in the release. “This is exactly the type of industry collaboration needed to help frame the important issues through a shared digital economy lens,” said Chris Krebs, Department of Homeland Security senior official performing the duties of the undersecretary-National Protection and Programs Directorate, in the news release.

More than half of U.S. connected car drivers said they wouldn’t buy a self-driving car, researcher Solace reported Thursday. Two-thirds believe they drive more safely in connected cars, but 40 percent wouldn’t trust their cars to brake for them. Forty-six percent of drivers ages 18-25 wouldn’t trust their car to automatically react to driving conditions vs. a third of drivers 65 or older. Safety and navigation are the most trusted and valued features, with 49 percent of drivers most likely to rely on safety sensors -- such as lane departure alerts -- in a connected car, 35 percent on navigational prompts. Forty-eight percent weren't aware their vehicle could store personal data such as social security numbers and birthdays. The online survey occurred Jan. 17-19 with 1,500 drivers.

The SEC adopted interpretive guidance to help companies prepare disclosures about cybersecurity risks and incidents, the agency said Wednesday. Chairman Jay Clayton said the guidance highlights federal securities laws' disclosure requirements and the importance of policies and procedures for disclosure controls. He said the aim of the guidance is "clearer and more robust disclosure by companies" about cybersecurity risks, giving investors more complete information. The commission said it's not suggesting companies must make detailed disclosures such as specific technical information about their systems or potential system vulnerabilities, but they should disclose incidents and risks material to investors, including financial, legal or reputational consequences. The agency said companies might need to disclose previous or ongoing incidents to put risk discussions in context.