A 6-year-old’s pitch; an app to save your marriage; and other comments of the week

Ashwin Godwan

The best comments, quotes, and random zingers we heard this week… “Feature request: Deduct points … when phone is thrown across room.”– GeekWire reader Jay Force commenting on Kouply, a new mobile app that awards points to couples for positive behavior, such as cleaning the dishes or vacuuming the car. “Hi my name is Ashwin and I’m… Read More…

RealNetworks settles suit for $2.4M over unwanted charges

RealNetworks HQ. Wikipedia photo

RealNetworks has settled a suit brought by Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna over unwanted charges that consumers received on credit card bills related subscriptions for TV and sports  programming as well as games, according to the AP. The Better Business Bureau received more than 500 complaints from across the country about the practices. It… Read More…

State AGs sound alarm over Google privacy changes

Larry Page

In a letter today to Google CEO Larry Page, attorneys general from dozens of states question the company’s plan to unify its privacy policies across its different web properties and say the company should give users the option of opting in or out of the changes. Here’s the full text of the letter, signed by… Read More…

Here’s what Jay Inslee wants to do to keep the state’s tech industry humming

Jay Inslee

There’s no shortage of ideas in Jay Inslee’s economic plan for Washington state. The Democratic candidate for governor released a 30-page jobs plan — divided into seven subsections — on Monday at the MacDonald-Miller factory in Seattle. Among the priorities: Clean Energy, Aerospace, Life Sciences, Military, Information and Communication Technology, Agriculture and Small Business. Whew,… Read More…

Video: Rob McKenna looks to knock multi-million dollar scheme off Facebook

mckennna-11

Facebook unites hundreds of millions of people each day, but lurking in the shadows are some bad actors who treat the platform as the Wild, Wild West. Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna is looking to bring some order to the chaos, specifically targeting a scheme known as “likejacking” or “clickjacking.” Today, Facebook and the Washington… Read More…

Facebook, Washington AG file suits over ‘likejacking’ scheme

scam-facebook1

Facebook and Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna today filed lawsuits against Adscend Media, an ad network that allegedly is engaged in a deceptive practice which has come to be known as “likejacking.” “We don’t ‘like’ schemes that illegally trick Facebook users into giving up personal information or paying for unwanted subscription services through spam,”… Read More…

WA governor hopefuls Inslee and McKenna on tech issues

mckennainslee

It wasn’t an official debate, but two of Washington state’s candidates for governor in 2012 got a chance to show off their technology chops today in front of an audience of tech leaders at a Technology Alliance luncheon on broadband spectrum challenges. U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee, a Democratic candidate for governor, called better broadband access… Read More…

Washington AG joins opposition to AT&T’s T-Mobile acquisition

Rob McKenna

(Updated below with T-Mobile statement) Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna today joined the opposition to AT&T’s $39 billion acquisition of Bellevue-based T-Mobile USA, signing the company’s home state on as a plaintiff in the U.S. Justice Department’s lawsuit to block the deal. “This merger will result in less competition, fewer choices and higher prices… Read More…

$99 Smurfberries? Apple closes iOS loophole under pressure from Washington AG

smurfvillage

Sorry, kids, no more spending your college fund in Smurfs’ Village. Apple this week sent word to Washington state’s Attorney General that its new iOS 4.3 update for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch will require a password every time someone makes a purchase inside an app — closing a loophole that had resulted in some… Read More…