Techmeme
December 11, 2013, 7:20 AM

Top News

The Switch:
NSA uses Google cookies to pinpoint targets for hacking  —  The National Security Agency is secretly piggybacking on the tools that enable Internet advertisers to track consumers, using “cookies” and location data to pinpoint targets for government hacking and to bolster surveillance.
The Switch:
New documents show how the NSA infers relationships based on mobile location data  —  Everyone who carries a cellphone generates a trail of electronic breadcrumbs that records everywhere they go.  Those breadcrumbs reveal a wealth of information about who we are, where we live, who our friends are and much more.
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Nokia's “Normandy” phone uses a forked variant of Android, a la Kindle Fire  —  This is Nokia's Android phone  —  Codename Normandy is ‘full steam ahead’  —  Nokia has been building its own Android phone according to multiple sources familiar with the company's plans.
Ina Fried / AllThingsD:
Why Nokia Is Building an Android Phone and Why Microsoft Might Not Kill It  —  So is Nokia really working on an Android-based phone and would Microsoft really go ahead with such a device?  —  The answer to the first one is definitely yes, and, surprisingly, the answer to the second question may be yes as well.
Emil Protalinski / The Next Web:
Glassdoor: Twitter dethrones Facebook as the best tech company to work for, ending three-year streak  —  Career website Glassdoor today released its sixth annual Employees' Choice Awards, a list of the 50 best places to work for in the coming year.  Twitter was elected the number one tech company …
Matthew Panzarino / TechCrunch:
Twitter Apps Updated With New Swipeable Design And Photo Support In Direct Messages  —  Today, Twitter has announced an update to its apps that bring a renewed focus on direct messaging.  The app now features a direct link to DMs in the tab bar and allows you to send photos inside direct messages.
John Herrman / BuzzFeed:
Marguerite Reardon / CNET:
AT&T chief: We can't keep doing big subsidies on phones  —  AT&T's top executive says the era of big subsidies for devices is coming to an end, as wireless operators can no longer afford to fund a constant smartphone upgrade cycle.  —  Speaking at an investor conference in New York City on Tuesday …
Variety:
Epic Fail: The Rise and Fall of Demand Media  —  The future of the so-called “content farm” looks bleak as its search-centric biz crumbles  —  Take note, Twitter: Not every tech company has a happy ending after a ballyhooed IPO.  —  Just look at Demand Media, the Santa Monica …
Michele Sinner / Reuters:
EU court upholds Microsoft, Skype deal, rejects Cisco challenge  —  (Reuters) - Europe's second highest court upheld a decision on Wednesday by European Union regulators clearing Microsoft's $8.5 billion takeover of Skype in 2011, rejecting a challenge by the world's top network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc.
Mike Isaac / AllThingsD:
Facebook Wants to Be a Newspaper.  Facebook Users Have Their Own Ideas.  —  Most people think of Facebook in a similar way: It's a place to share photos of your kids.  It's a way to keep up with friends and family members.  It's a place to share a funny, viral story or LOLcat picture you've stumbled upon on the Web.
Glyn Moody / Techdirt:
Norway To Digitize All Norwegian Books, Allowing Domestic IP Addresses To Read All Of Them, Irrespective Of Copyright Status  —  Here's a pretty amazing story from Norway: … Now, in any normal country — where “normal” means one in which copyright has reached the heights of monopolistic insanity …
More: The Atlantic OnlineTweets: @glynmoody
Dan Ackerman / CNET:
Dell joins the Chromebook club with the Dell Chromebook 11  —  This 11-inch laptop, running Chrome OS, is targeted at schools.  —  Dell is officially announcing its first Chromebook on December 11.  The system, to be called the Dell Chromebook 11 (HP also has a system called the Chromebook 11) …
More: PC World and Engadget
Mary Jo Foley / Fortune:
Steve Ballmer and Microsoft's top executives reflect on his legacy  —  For Steve Ballmer, a lasting touch on Microsoft  —  As the world prepares for Microsoft to announce a new chief executive, we ask the company's top executives—including the man himself—to take a look at the legacy Steve Ballmer leaves on the technology company.
Brian X. Chen / New York Times:
New York Asks Cellphone Carriers to Explain Why They Rejected Antitheft Switch  —  SAN FRANCISCO — New York State's top prosecutor is investigating why American cellphone carriers have yet to embrace antitheft software on Samsung smartphones, raising questions about possible coordination among the biggest carriers.
Ernesto / TorrentFreak:
The Pirate Bay Moves to .AC After Domain Name Seizure  —  A few hours ago Pirate Bay users were shocked to discover that their favorite torrent site was no longer loading.  —  Without warning the nameservers were removed from thepiratebay.sx domain, making it impossible to load the site in places where DNS entries were not cached.

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