Choosing a broadband provider is a little like shopping blind folded: you rarely know what speed connection you'll actually get until you've handed over your first month's subscription. Also, marketing material carefully uses the phrase "up to", so consumers tend to only know about the best case scenario speeds of different providers.

To address the problem, Ookla, the company behind Speedtest.net, has just released data that shows what speed different ISPs deliver. The company's NetIndex site already ranks cities, U.S. states, and countries by their average connection speeds. The new data comes from a questionnaire that appears after someone uses speedtest.net to test their connection. In the last 30 days or so, around 100,000 people have responded.

Scroll to the bottom of this page to see the ranking of all ISPs across the U.S. At the time of writing Comcast comes out top, followed by less well known providers Charter, Optimum Online, MidContinent Communications and Road Runner. You can drill down to see the list for individual states, for example Massachusetts, and cities.

"This is the kind of data that people haven't been able to see before," says Ookla co-founder Mike Apgar, also revealing plans to have speedtest.net tell you how your connection compares to the average in your state or local area. He's also working on a "value index" that compares ISPs based on the price you pay for each Mbps you get.

"It gets a little more interesting when we get into what people are paying," says Apgar. For example, preliminary data shows that the average monthly cost of broadband in the U.S. is $47.32, at a cost of $5.06 per Mbps. Comparing states is more interesting: Washington residents pay $3.89 per Mbps, those in California $4.24 and inhabitants of Idaho $8.80. "The ultimate vision is that we'll have a site where you can compare ISPs from across the globe," Apgar adds. Given South Korea's clear lead in the global speed stakes, 26 places ahead of the U.S., it's likely the country will also dominate that list.

Ford announced its new MyFord system at CES yesterday. The driver-control system, based largely on Ford's Sync system, offers even more voice commands. But MyFord also introduces an 8-inch touch-screen in the car's dashboard for accessing the internet.

While Ford endorsed a proposed federal ban on texting while driving last year, its new system is said to allow drivers to interact with even more Internet-based systems, such as Twitter, Pandora, and Stitcher--although only through a voice interface. Still, multiple studies, including two from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, show that drivers are four times more likely to have an accident if they are talking on the phone--hands-free or not--while driving.

Ford, like other car makers, is trying to balance on the fine line between consumer demand and auto safety. It's a tough one to negotiate, but insurers are starting to come down on the side of fewer distractions of any sort. Nationwide Insurance offers drivers a 5 percent discount for using technology that blocks them from using a cell phone while the car is in motion, and State Farm, the largest insurance company in the United States, is studying the technology.

As a driver, I can clearly see both sides of the argument: it's convenient and tempting to talk or text (or use GPS) while driving--especially when stuck in traffic. But I know that I am more distracted when I do. Personally, I can't wait for cars that drive themselves, so I can do whatever I want in the car, whether I'm driving or not. But I'm not holding my breath.

The Take Back Your Privacy site offers simple ways to file complaints.

Don't like what a website has done with your personal information? Don't understand its privacy policies? A new privacy complaint site is now open for business--created by an Internet freedom and privacy advocacy group in Washington, D.C. called the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT).

Complaints can be shared with your social network via sites like Twitter and Facebook, and also forwarded to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). If enough complaints surface, it's possible that the FTC will launch an investigation into whether a website is violate existing laws.

The larger point is to create a cudgel to get Congress interested in enacting comprehensive Internet privacy legislation. CDT has already put out a pretty good guide to online privacy problems, explaining existing and often narrowly-written patchwork of court rulings and laws, most of them falling hopelessly behind rapid technological advances.

"In the past ten years, the ability of Internet companies to collect and aggregate information has increased dramatically," says Leslie Harris, the group's president. But while some states have taken action, Congress has not. "We see next year as the first time in a decade that we will have serious debate in Congress on whether we will have comprehensive privacy laws."

Among other things, says Harris, "we ought to have a tool that takes you out of online tracking; with one click, you delete all tracking devices that have been put on your computer." Users should also have the power to force Internet companies to delete personal data, such as search requests, after the passage of a reasonable period of time, she adds.