The news at a glance

YouTube to turn over viewers’ records

Privacy advocates sounded the alarm last week when a federal judge ordered Google to disclose the viewing history of everyone who has watched videos on YouTube, said Miguel Helft in The New York Times. The order came as the result of a $1 billion lawsuit by Viacom against YouTube and its owner, Google. Viacom claims that YouTube doesn’t do enough to keep pirated videos off its website, and wants the user data to determine how often its copyright-protected content is viewed online. But critics fear that information about individuals’ private viewing habits will leak out. “The stuff people look for when they’re online is pretty embarrassing,” said Columbia University law professor Tim Wu.

Google could have put up more of a fight, said Ed Foster in InfoWorld. “Google’s entire business is built on our trust” that it will protect our privacy. But Google has accepted Viacom’s shallow assurances that the user data will be scrubbed of all identifying information. YouTube viewers have good reason to worry. In its campaign to stamp out copyright infringement, “Viacom has no reason not to push for all the data it can get.” YouTube viewers have good reason to worry.

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Autos: A June to forget

U.S. car sales fell to a 10-year low in June, as buyers shunned low-mileage SUVs and dealers ran short of the fuel-efficient vehicles that their customers want, said Kate Linebaugh in The Wall Street Journal. The sales data, released last week, showed double-digit sales declines almost across the board. Chrysler sold 36 percent fewer cars in June 2008 than it did in June 2007, while Toyota reported a 21 percent decline—“an astounding drop for a company that has been consistently outperforming its Detroit-based rivals.”

Brewing: InBev’s offer for Bud turns hostile

Belgian brewing giant InBev launched a hostile offer for Anheuser-Busch this week after the Budweiser brewer rejected a friendly, $46 billion bid, said Jonathan Birchall in the Financial Times. InBev said it would urge Anheuser-Busch shareholders to replace the company’s board with directors willing to cut a deal—including Adolphus Busch IV, a descendant of the company’s founder. Anheuser-Busch chairman Augustus Busch IV said InBev’s offer “undervalued Anheuser’s earnings potential.”

Cable TV: NBC wins the Weather Channel

A consortium led by General Electric’s NBC-Universal agreed this week to buy the Weather Channel, “one of the last big independent cable networks,” said Georg Szalai in The Hollywood Reporter. The acquisition “will further boost” GE’s suite of news and information properties on TV and online. NBC-Universal President Jeff Zucker said he envisions the Weather Channel sharing content with CNBC, MSNBC, “and such NBC shows as Today and Dateline.”

Radio: Limbaugh’s big haul

Right-wing talk-radio star Rush Limbaugh last week signed a $400 million deal with broadcaster Clear Channel, “a record-setter for terrestrial radio,” said Brian Garrity in the New York Post. The eight-year agreement calls for Limbaugh to collect $38 million a year, “plus a signing bonus of a whopping $100 million.” Limbaugh’s show, carried on 600 radio stations, reaches almost 20 million listeners. “In terms of sponsors,” said Clear Channel executive Charlie Rahilly, “Rush has really figured out how to sell people’s products like crazy.”