A proposed British database intended to store details of every phone shout, e-mail and Web site visit made in the U.K. could be managed by a private sector contractor under government plans, the Guardian newspaper reported Wednesday.

Such outsourcing would be accompanied by tougher legal safeguards…

The U.S. semiconductor industry, notoriously volatile even without the shock of a global economic downturn, was badly hurt in 2008 as prices for memory chips continued their dizzyingly rapid fall and demand for PC microprocessors dropped off amid weaker demand.

As such, shares of chip makers and co…

Here’s the vacation no one wants, courtesy of the recession: Forced moment off without pay.

Financially struggling American universities, factories and even hospitals are requiring employees to take unpaid “furloughs” — temporary layoffs that amount to one-time pay cuts for workers and a cost savi…

Where everyone else sees economic gloom and doom, Reid Hoffman sees opportunity. As the freshly minted CEO of LinkedIn (and its founder), he is shepherding a moneymaking tech company in battered Silicon Valley. And he anticipates more growth next year.

That is no small achievement. The social-netwo…

It’s the end [of 2008 and the start of 2009], and that’s a good date to take stock of what’s been happening in business technology, and think about where trends might be going.

In one sense, the big players seem to hang on and get bigger. Apple hardly takes a bite out of the PC’s world dominance. G…

LG Electronics on Tuesday announced new alliances for its Network Blu-ray Disc Players. LG is now adding CinemaNow and YouTube to its lineup.

Netflix was LG’s first partner on the instant-streaming front. In fact, LG was the first manufacturer to stream movies instantly from Netflix on a Network Bl…

China is starting a long-delayed introduction of third-generation mobile phone service, setting off a politically charged scramble by foreign and Chinese equipment makers for up to $41 billion in orders.

Chinese sales could be crucial for suppliers such as Motorola Inc., Alcatel-Lucent SA and Nokia…