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[Commentary] A poll released by the Pew Research Center and The Washington Post found a partisan shift in the way Americans view the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance programs. In the survey, slightly more Democrats than Republicans said they found it acceptable for the N.S.A. to track Americans’ phone records and e-mails if the goal is to prevent terrorism. By comparison, when Pew Research asked a similar question in 2006, Republicans were about twice as likely as Democrats to support the N.S.A.’s activities.

The poll is a reminder that many Americans do not hold especially firm views on some issues and instead may adapt them depending on which party controls the executive branch. When it comes to domestic surveillance, a considerable number of Democrats seem willing to support actions under President Obama that they deemed unacceptable under George W. Bush, while some Republicans have shifted in the opposite direction. What may be just as significant is the way in which attitudes toward the security state could split voters and elected officials within each party — possibly creating a wedge issue in both party primaries in 2016. Politicians who are normally associated with being on the far left and the far right may find common cause with grass-roots voters in their objection to domestic surveillance programs, fighting against a party establishment that is inclined to support them.

Google acquired mapping startup Waze. The deal was worth $1 billion in cash, plus $100 million in performance payouts in cash and possibly stock to the Waze staff, said people familiar with the deal.

Waze is a social mapping start-up that features real-time traffic data provided by users to help drivers find the fastest route to a destination. The deal highlights the increasing importance of location data in our on-the-go lives, whether it is finding a place to eat or navigating an unfamiliar road. Google said that Waze, which has nearly 50 million users, will remain a separate service. Some of Waze’s real-time traffic data will feed into Google Maps, and Google plans to incorporate its powerful search capabilities into Waze.

In private conversations, executives at Rupert Murdoch's News Corp are acknowledging ongoing discussions with the US Justice Department about a possible settlement of alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act that took place in Britain.

Speculation by one knowledgeable News Corp source puts the size of the settlement as high as $850 million; other sources say that it could go as high as billions. The primary charges involve the activities of News Corp's newspapers in London – principally, the Sun and the defunct News of the World – and allegations of bribes paid to the London police for information, which emerged during investigations begun two summers ago into phone-hacking. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) prohibits US companies from making undisclosed payments to government officials in foreign countries in order to gain favorable treatment. From the company's point of view, the most favorable timetable for a settlement will occur after 28 June, when News Corp will be split into two distinct entities, a smaller newspaper-focused group, which will retain the name News Corp, and a much larger group, which will retain all of the present company's entertainment assets, to be called 21st Century Fox. But the company would also prefer that a settlement come before the September trial date of several of its once high-ranking executives, including its former chief Rebekah Brooks, the executive who is allegedly tied to the police payments.

Cable executives face two big threats to their core lines of business. One involves the nature of pay television in an age of over-the-top content, and the other, the rise of gigabit networks.

In many ways it would seem that the rise of gigabit networks would crush the business of providing pay TV, but in fact, if cable companies play it smart, they may find a way to walk the line as their industry transitions to all-IP content delivery over broadband networks. They may even find new sources of revenue by offering IP services such as home security and automation.

Phil McKinney is the president of CableLabs, the industry standards setting body that is responsible for pushing cable’s access technologies. CableLabs is the organization behind the DOCSIS 3.0 standard, which has helped cable companies roll out 100 Mbps and faster speeds. Unfortunately, those speeds have a practical limit that won’t help cable providers like Comcast or Time Warner Cable compete with Google’s gigabit networks. And if AT&T or municipalities get aggressive about deploying such networks, cable providers might find themselves selling the equivalent of feature phones in a smartphone world. Enter DOCSIS 3.1, the next generation of the cable access technologies. The new standard will allow cable firms deploying D3.1 equipment to deliver up to 10 gigabits per second down and 1 gigabit up.