The Bush administration on Wednesday asked a federal judge to order Google to turn over a broad range of material from its closely guarded databases.

The move is part of a government effort to revive an Internet child protection law struck down two years ago by the U.S. Supreme Court. The law was meant to punish online pornography sites that make their content accessible to minors. The government contends it needs the Google data to determine how often pornography shows up in online searches.

Google has been refusing the request since a subpoena was first issued last August, even as three of its competitors agreed to provide information, according to court documents made public this week. Google asserts that the request is unnecessary, overly broad, would be onerous to comply with, would jeopardize its trade secrets and could expose identifying information about its users.

This is a story for anyone concerned about personal privacy. Obviously no one wants the DoJ sifting through our search records but look closely at why Google is objecting. Not to protect us but to protect their "trade secrets." One can only speculate about how much information Google is collecting on everyone who uses their search and how do they plan to use it?

Responding to the rising cybercrime threat, the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday unveiled an online tool designed to help consumers avoid becoming victims of Internet scams.

Consumers can take interactive quizzes designed to enlighten them about ID theft, phishing, spam and online-shopping scams.

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Now you can go online and buy other people's phone records – and it's legal. Who you call, when you call and for how long – you might think it's your personal business. But it's all for sale.

Virtually anyone can be their own private eye with dozens of Internet companies advertising the sale of cell phone and landline records. Average price: about $100.

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No one wants their identity stolen, but ID theft would be especially bad for St. Pierre, who manages Swingbridge Capital, a consultant for small and midsize businesses. St. Pierre says his personal-credit history is intertwined with his ability to raise debt to expand his business. If "someone stole my ID, it could prohibit me from adding an employee," he says, adding he "was pleased that this benefit was added."

For all the would-be benefits, some cyberfraud experts and consumer advocates question the value of ID-theft protection products. According to Consumer Reports, part of the nonprofit testing and product-information group Consumers Union, ID-theft insurance generally costs $25 to $50 a year and carries a maximum benefit of $15,000 to $25,000, with deductibles of $100 to $250 Consumer Reports doesn't recommend buying ID-theft insurance but instead offers tips on preventing it.

From the Air Force to the Treasury Department, government agencies are using either "Web bugs" or permanent cookies to monitor their visitors' behavior, even though federal law restricts the practice.

"We were not aware of the cookies set to expire in 2016," a Pentagon representative said Wednesday. "All of the cookies we had set with WebTrends were to be strictly (temporary) cookies, and we are taking immediate action." WebTrends is a commercial Web-monitoring service.

At the checkout line you have everything list, your cash or credit card ready — and, oh yeah, get set for one more thing.

"Can I have your phone number, please?"

Privacy advocates advise against revealing such information, because it can be the key to accessing more sensitive information about you.

Because a phone number often can be used to look up a customer's address, stores say it helps them send special offers through the mail or tailor those offers to a customer's prior purchases. Many stores have signs explaining such a policy near checkout counters. Such signs commonly add that the stores don't share their customer information with third parties.

"I think a lot of stores, to be fair, they're not abusing your privacy," said Ponemon, who once audited an unspecified chain store's use of customer data and found it ethical. "But some stores are thinking there's money in your data."

Shoe discounter DSW Inc. has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that its failure to take reasonable security measures to protect sensitive customer data was an unfair practice that violated federal law. According to the FTC, DSW’s data-security failure allowed hackers to gain access to the sensitive credit card, debit card, and checking account information of more than 1.4 million customers. The settlement will require DSW to implement a comprehensive information-security program and obtain audits by an independent third-party security professional every other year for 20 years.

Fashion model Beverly Peele has been charged with identity theft for allegedly buying about $10,000 worth of housewares, appliances and furniture with someone else's credit card numbers.

Peele, who has been featured in magazine ads and appeared in the movie "Sweet Friggin' Daisies" and a George Michael music video, was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of grand theft by access card, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Friday.

You are safer paying your mortgage online - or to have the amount automatically debited from your checking or savings account each month - instead of writing an actual check.

Why? Though Internet "phishing" scams have received a lot of publicity lately, studies still show that about two-thirds of all ID-theft cases begin when a thief simply rummages through mailboxes or trash cans in search of a consumer's canceled checks, old loan statements or other paperwork that includes personal financial data. Paying electronically is generally far more secure because it doesn't create an extensive paper trail.

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