According to a new study by the National Retail Federation, online shoppers spent more money last year on apparel than on computers, a reflection of the Web’s increasingly broad consumer appeal. Consumers spent $18.3 billion on clothes, accessories and shoes in 2006, up 61 percent from the previous year. Computer hardware and software sales totaled $17.2 billion, up 20 percent from the previous year. Total online retail spending, excluding travel, grew 25 percent to $146.5 billion.
Who makes the rules? The newly authorized operator of the .tel registry in Britain has sent a letter to ICANN asking for permission to deviate from ICANN’s contractual requirements to display registrant contact data, in order to avoid conflicts with UK Data Protection law.