In the final few days of 2010 and over the final few months to close the year, everyone is talking about privacy.  From “Do Not Follow” lists to an online consumers “Bill of Rights”, there will be debate after debate around online marketing and consumer privacy in 2011. Even Obama joined the conversation making headlines just a week ago.  We certainly have our point of view – stay tuned.  Hot in the spotlight for the moment is Apple. With consumers clicking accept with blind ambition to the Ts & Cs for the App Store and with Apple being quite coy in the wording found as new iPhone and iPad users sync their shiny new holiday gift for the first time, sharing consumer actions with app makers and using this info within their iAd technology brings this well respected company under fire.

Right now the class action being organized doesn’t add up to much but time will tell on how the case builds.  It’ll be interesting to see what action Apple takes to reverse the negative PR coming their way.  2011 will start off with plenty of controversy.  Enjoy the final few days of 2010. We’ll keep a close eye on the headlines and let you know if anything breaks while you pop the champagne.  See you in 2011.

ComScore recently released the latest US search engine statistics for the month of November.  “Google Sites led the U.S. explicit* core search market with 66.2 percent market share, followed by Yahoo! Sites with 16.4 percent and Microsoft sites with 11.8 percent (up 0.3 percentage points). Ask Network accounted for 3.6 percent of explicit core searches.”

*Explicit searches refer to searches conducted by users who explicitly intend to interact with their search results, as opposed to contextually driven searches.

It’s fascinating how search terms can “capture the spirit of 2010” so adequately and appropriately.  Google recently released their 2010 Zeitgeist, which in their words is “the aggregation of billions of search queries people typed into Google this year.”

From highlights of the 2010 Winter Olympics, to devastating natural disasters Google has broken out all of the pressing news and issues of this past year.  The Zeitgeist includes the top global events of the year, lists of the fastest rising search queries (globally and nationally), and a sensational illustrated video review of 2010.

Look back on 2010 and watch as Swine Flu and Susan Boyle become concerns of the past as the iPad, Twitter, Katy Perry, and Cupcakes top the search charts.

As talk congressional talks about internet advertising heat up, Microsoft has fired an early shot against online tracking.

Internet Explorer, the most popular browser worldwide, has divulged a new function that will allow users to develop lists of sites that they do not want to share information with, which can inhibit ads from targeting an individuals browsing behavior.

Though it is a powerful privacy tool, it is not expected to be used much by consumers. It requires people to understand the intricacies of online tracking, and then holds them responsible to develop a database of sites to be put on the “do not track” list.

Few people will take the time to create such lists, but as online privacy laws evolve advertisers may have to be wary of opt-out or tracking prevention abilities.

Today Google officially launched Chrome OS.

The light weight operating system was announced back in June 2009. Currently it’s exclusive to those participating in the pilot program which are selected customers, businesses and those who participated in the “Chrome Stickers Promotion” on Facebook.

Google blogged with special announcements about the new system, click here to check it out.

To learn more and see if Chrome OS is for you check out this informative video:

Social media networks have allowed NASA and the White House the ability to interact with the American people in a way different from any other form of communication. By using the latest online technologies that social media networks provide, like “3-D visualizations, streaming video, and integration with location-based social network Gowalla,” NASA can communicate with the public about their achievements, successes, and future plans in space discovery.

As for the White House, social media is a way to reach out to the people on critical issues this economy is faced with. In other words social media is a powerful source for reaching out to the people. But it is also a source where people have the power to reach out to the world. Never before have the public been able to rise to a level of equality with the authorities. The voice of the people can be heard from every corner of this planet. Social media can be or may be the gateway for fixing the world.

Click here to check out the story.