Congratulations, Gays! Your problems are over now that Lady Gaga held a rally in favor of repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell. Equality, she says, is the 'prime rib of America,' and everyone deserves to wear a "meat dress".

Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed — okay, okay, "terminated" — a proposed California state law, AB 779, which would imposed stronger consumer data protection on California businesses. Why? Because the law was overly broad and confusing. Too bad. A host of businesses would actually benefit from strict privacy laws. Why? Because actually extracting a business advantage from consumer data is extremely tough. Laws that hamstring their savvier competition would actually benefit the vast number of companies who have no clue how to violate their customers' privacy for fun and profit.

After failing to compete with search giant Google on nearly all fronts, Microsoft and Ask have opened up another one: privacy. On Sunday, Microsoft and Ask.com jointly announced a call for industry cooperation in keeping search data more private. No one believes for a minute that Ask and Microsoft sincerely believe in protecting users' privacy, but exploiting the ever-growing fear of Google is a wise move. And thus far, Google's distant rivals appear to have won an early marketing battle in the undecided war. Why this privacy move is just a publicity stunt — and why it might work nonetheless — after the jump.

TIM FAULKNER — It didn't seem possible, but Ask's advertising has actually gotten worse in moving from billboards to television. The commercial for the also-ran search engine features a Tommy Tune-esque spokesman in search of dancing, singing women brandishing broadswords (apparently). Reminiscent of late web boom Super Bowl ads that were more likely to prompt the viewer to ask, "WTF? Was that an ad? For what? Was it a joke?" than invoke brand acceptance and education, the commercial shows Ask hasn't learned and is committed to bizarre, off-putting advertising.

TIM FAULKNER — Ask, the little search engine that couldn't, is trying to make a play at relevance with a major upgrade, but the improved interface, while appreciated, will make no difference in the ferocious battle for search engine marketshare. The upgrade, billed as Ask 3D — not because of the bubbly new logo and iPhone-like icons but because of its 3 pane interface, is essentially the prototype universal search, Ask X. And all of the major search engines have similar interface approaches as prototypes as well. Rolling out the new interface earlier than Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft may provide some attention (temporarily), but additional features (temporarily) will not shift loyal users to Barry Diller's Ask nor will it erase one of the most confusing and misguided advertising campaigns in internet history.

"Ask.com has reached an agreement to provide search and sponsored listings for Lycos, the fifth most popular U.S. Web portal, the companies said on Wednesday."
— Reuters, November 1