Yahoo!Tech reports that “

[a] high-profile task force formed last year to study dangers young people face on the Internet has found that fears of sexual predators are overblown and that technology alone won't keep children safe.  Family, education, and government policy are key components of reducing risks for children, according to Internet Safety Technical Task Force findings to be discussed Wednesday at a Congressional Internet Caucus Fifth Annual State of the Net Conference in Washington, D.C.  ‘We have concluded that there is no silver bullet technical solution to online child safety concerns,’ wrote Adam Thierrer of The Progress & Freedom Foundation, which was on the task force.  ‘Technology can only supplement – it can never supplant – education and mentoring.’”

The Seattle Times writes that “New York state won a round in court against Amazon.com over a new law requiring out-of-state online companies to collect sales tax from shoppers in New York.  The law applies to companies that don't have offices in New York, but have at least one person in the state who works as an online agent — someone who links to a Web site and receives commissions for related sales.  A state Supreme Court justice in Manhattan ruled the suit should be dismissed, saying Amazon had no basis for legal action.”

According to Internetnews.com, “U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has selected Julius Genachowski, a technology executive and former classmate from Harvard Law School, to lead the Federal Communications Commission, a Democratic source said on Monday.  Genachowski served as chief counsel for former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt, the chairman under former President Bill Clinton, and held various positions at IAC/InterActiveCorp, as well as other technology posts.  Genachowski, who has been advising Obama, had been considered the front-runner for the job.”

BBC News has an article on the UK government’s new plan to guarantee up to £20bn of loans to small and medium-sized firms to help them survive the downturn has been unveiled by the government.

MercuryNews.com claims that “In the tech industry, green is the new black.  In recent months, electronics companies have released a slew of new, more environmentally friendly products or touted their commitments to improving the environment.  The industry clearly has gotten the message that consumers are increasingly conscious of the ecological impact of the products they purchase. Individual companies and the industry as a whole are taking steps to make their products more energy-efficient and to cut back on the use of toxic materials, environmental groups say.”