U.S. lawmakers called on three large U.S. government agencies, including the Department of Energy, to start monitoring their IT purchases for possible malware, counterfeits or other security flaws, after a watchdog agency pointed out potential vulnerabilities in their IT supply-chain procedures.

Recent data breaches at Sony's PlayStation Network and at e-mail service provider Epsilon will lead to legislation focused on improving cybersecurity at U.S. companies, the chairwoman of a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee said Thursday.

A senior Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives will soon introduce legislation designed to give Web users more control of their personal data and to give the U.S. Federal Trade Commission power to enforce voluntary privacy standards developed with Internet companies, he said Friday.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission's vote Tuesday to approve new network neutrality rules received mixed reviews, with broadband provider Verizon Communications appearing to question the agency's legal authority.

Proposals in the U.S. Congress that would create new rules for websites collecting personal data would cripple the online advertising and publishing industries, e-commerce trade group NetChoice said Thursday.