Google chairman Eric Schmidt wants it known that the company is no fan of Carrier IQ, the company that was recently accused of distributing software capable of logging keystrokes on mobile devices. "We certainly don't work with them," he reportedly said at conference on Thursday at the Hague.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) have been among the most vocal opponents of PROTECT-IP and SOPA -- anti-piracy proposals currently pending in the Senate and House. Today, the lawmakers unveiled a draft of a competing anti-piracy bill -- the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) Act. That measure targets piracy by empowering the International Trade Commission to take action against foreign websites dedicated to copyright infringement.

In a case that's riled up the blogosphere, Crystal Cox, who says she's an "investigative blogger," was just ordered by a jury to pay $2.5 million to investment firm Obsidian Finance Group and its co-founder Kevin Padrick for a post that they say was defamatory.

When the Federal Communications Commission passed net neutrality rules last year, consumer advocates complained that regulations gave too much leeway to wireless carriers. Advocates now say that a dust-up between Google and Verizon highlights just how limited those rules are.

Righthaven's ill-fated litigation campaign seems to have caught the attention of the record and book industries. The Recording Industry Association of America and Association of American Publishers are now considering whether to involve themselves in Righthaven's appeal of a ruling dismissing one of its nearly 300 cases.

Carrier IQ has finally addressed the snooping allegations that have been plaguing the company for the last few days. In a statement issued late Thursday, Carrier IQ said that its software is supposed to be used to diagnose the causes of dropped calls and other service issues. "Our software allows operators to figure out why problems are occurring, why calls are dropped, and how to extend the life of the battery," the company said.

It doesn't look as if Carrier IQ's rootkit crisis is going to blow over any time soon. Yesterday, the company found itself at the center of a controversy after researcher Trevor Eckhart posted a video clip that appeared to show Carrier IQ logging his keystrokes on a mobile phone -- despite the company's public denials that it did so. Today, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) is demanding some answers from the company.