Techmeme: UK's Cable and Wireless, bought by Vodafone, helped GCHQ get internet data of millions of worldwide users from undersea cables (Geoff White/Channel 4)

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November 21, 2014, 9:15 AM

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Chet Kanojia / All Aereo:

Aereo files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, says “challenges have proven too difficult to overcome” — The Next Chapter — A little over three years ago, the team at Aereo set out to build a better television experience for the consumer. — We began this journey because we were frustrated …

More: TechCrunch, Associated Press, CNET, VentureBeat, Fortune, Engadget, Gizmodo, The Next Web, Bloomberg, New York Times and The Verge

Tweets: @aereo, @curtwoodward, @danprimack, @pkafka and @danprimack

See also Mediagazer

Dennis Schaal / Skift:

Sources: Amazon to launch hotel booking service in January 2015 — Exclusive: Amazon to Get Into Hotel Booking With Launch of Travel Site — Amazon.com is poised to launch its own travel service, featuring booking at independent hotels and resorts near major cities, Skift has learned.

More: The Next Web, VatorNews, TechSpot, Inc.com, VentureBeat, Gizmodo, Electronista, Neowin, Engadget, GeekWire, Mashable and Seeking Alpha

Tweets: @vijayshekhar, @rolfewinkler and @monkbent

Sarah Buhr / TechCrunch:

PCH International In Talks To Buy Fab For $15 Million — Multiple sources have confirmed that Fab is in talks to sell to PCH International for $15 million in a half cash and half stock deal. — Contractual agreements are in the very early stages between the two companies (and these things could always fall apart).

More: Business Insider, VentureBeat and Wall Street Journal

Tweets: @liamstack, @tommaxwelll, @amir, @trengriffin, @evelynrusli, @om, @evelynrusli, @alex, @mattrosoff and @danprimack

Thanks:@sarahbuhr

Sean Hollister / Gizmodo:

How Magic Leap Is Secretly Creating a New Alternate Reality — Don't you hate it when someone claims to have a magical new technology, but won't tell you how it works? When I saw that a super stealthy startup called Magic Leap had raised $542 million to make animals appear out of thin air …

More: Turnstyle and PSFK. Tweets: @tamsword

Derek Thompson / The Atlantic Online:

Music agents rely on data to identify potential hits, entrenching repetitive, derivative songs — The Shazam Effect — Record companies are tracking download and search data to predict which new songs will be hits. This has been good for business—but is it bad for music?

More: New Yorker, Matt Mullenweg, Gizmodo and Re/code

Tweets: @ttunguz, @petersuderman and @thestalwart

Reuters:

Google, Rockstar agree to settle patent litigation: filing — (Reuters) - Google Inc has agreed to settle litigation with patent consortium Rockstar, though terms of the deal were not disclosed in a court filing made public this week. — Rockstar, which counts Apple Inc as an investor …

Matthew Weaver / Guardian:

UK moves to shut down Russian hackers streaming live British webcam footage — UK to take action to close down Russian website streaming images from British webcams including baby monitors and those in gyms and bedrooms — The UK is to take international action to close down a Russian website …

More: Guardian, Computerworld, ICO Blog, consumer.ftc.gov, Tech Times, Tech Times, ITProPortal, PC Magazine and Agence France-Presse

Reuters:

Obama's immigration plans will make it easier for advanced degree holders to work in the US, but won't reduce backlog of H-1B visa holders awaiting green cards — Obama's immigration tweaks leave Big Tech wanting more — (Reuters) - Silicon Valley expects President Barack Obama to make life …

More: The Verge, New York Times, Bloomberg, Vox, Associated Press, Reuters, Newsweek and Washington Post

Geoff White / Channel 4:

UK's Cable and Wireless, bought by Vodafone, helped GCHQ get internet data of millions of worldwide users from undersea cables — Spy cable revealed: how telecoms firm worked with GCHQ — One of the UK's largest communications firms had a leading role in creating the surveillance system exposed …

More: NevilleHobson.com, The Intercept and The Register

Tweets: @koenrh, @geoffwhite247, @geoffwhite247, @geoffwhite247 and @geoffwhite247

Tim Culpan / Bloomberg:

Foxconn will spend $2.6B to build dedicated Apple display plant in Taiwan — Foxconn to Build Dedicated Apple Display Plant in Taiwan — Foxconn Technology Group will spend NT$80 billion ($2.6 billion) over the next two years on a new factory in Taiwan to supply displays exclusively for a client.

More: Ubergizmo, TechSpot, BGR, TechnoBuffalo, InvestorPlace, Business Insider, Pocketnow, Bidness Etc, iPhone in Canada Blog, iClarified, AppleInsider, 9to5Mac, MacRumors and Patently Apple. Thanks:@srikardr

Re/code:

Re/code drops comments on its site, noting that most discussion takes place on social media — A Note to Re/code Readers — Like all websites, Re/code is in a constant process of iteration. So, starting today, you'll notice a few changes on our site, and we wanted to let you know about them.

More: Macworld and Poynter. Tweets: @inafried, @mathewi, @antderosa, @fmanjoo, @c_davies, @inafried, @thestalwart, @digiphile and @mikeisaac. See also Mediagazer

Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:

Google's Project Loon can now launch up to 20 balloons per day, and they fly 10 times longer than in 2013 — Google today shared an update from Project Loon, the company's initiative to bring high-speed Internet access to remote areas of the world via hot air balloons.

More: Project Loon, Washington Post, SlashGear, ITProPortal, Fast Company, Inc.com, 9to5Google and TechCrunch. Thanks:@harrisonweber

Greg Bensinger / Wall Street Journal:

Amazon leases 470,000 square-foot, 12-story space in midtown Manhattan for next 17 years — Amazon to Lease Entire Manhattan Building, Hinting at Retail Ambitions — Amazon.com agreed to lease 470,000 square feet of space in midtown Manhattan from Vornado Realty Trust …

More: GeekWire and The Digital Reader

Jeff Barr / Amazon Web Services Blog:

Amazon's enterprise storage and sharing service Zocalo gets iOS, Android apps, 5TB file support — Amazon Zocalo Update - Mobile Apps + 5 TB Files — I have a couple of pieces of good news for current and potential users of Amazon Zocalo. Both items are available now and you can start using them today.

More: Inquirer, ZDNet, VentureBeat and InfoQ

Peter Kafka / Re/code:

Former Fake Steve Jobs and HubSpot content marketer Dan Lyons to head up Valleywag in January — Dan Lyons Used to be Fake Steve Jobs. Now He's the Chief Valleywag. — Valleywag's chief editor Nitasha Tiku just left for the Verge. Here's her replacement: Dan Lyons …

Tweets: @jyarow, @fromedome, @nichcarlson, @glennf, @jyarow and @a_greenberg. See also Mediagazer

Alyson Shontell / Business Insider:

Exodus of revived Valleywag's original team complete as Nitasha Tiku heads to The Verge to bolster Silicon Valley coverage

More: FishbowlNY. Tweets: @nicknotned and @nitashatiku. See also Mediagazer

Josh Kosman / New York Post:

GoDaddy seeks nearly $4.5B IPO valuation, talks diversifying — GoDaddy pitchwoman Danica Patrick. — GoDaddy.com is pushing ahead with an initial public offering early next year that would value the world's biggest domain registration service at roughly $4.5 billion, The Post has learned.

More: Fortune

Hayley Tsukayama / Washington Post:

Comcast testing feature to track technicians in real-time; trials begin outside Boston this week, will be rolled out nationally 2015 — Comcast is testing a way to tell you exactly when the cable guy is coming — Comcast is trying out a way to let customers track technicians. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

Airbnb Rolls Out Million-Dollar Liability Insurance Program For Hosts — Airbnb today announced an additional liability insurance program that will provide U.S. hosts with up to $1 million worth of protection in the case a guest is accidentally injured anywhere in a host's building or on their property during their stay.

More: The Airbnb Blog, Engadget, Re/code and Wall Street Journal. Tweets: @eddieacopeland

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:

Jaunt VR Releases Its First Content With App That Puts You On Stage With Paul McCartney — Jaunt wants to give you something to watch on makeshift virtual reality headsets like Google Cardboard, Dodocase, and Mirage. So today the 360-degree camera and VR production software maker launches …

More: The Next Web, Jaunt, Rolling Stone, The Verge, Re/code, Mashable, Re/code, HotHardware.com News, Ultimate Classic Rock, CNET, Billboard, Hollywood Reporter, Engadget, PCMag Australia Feed, Variety, Gizmodo, Android Central, CNNMoney.com and Forbes. Tweets: @bwerde

Douglas MacMillan / Wall Street Journal:

Uber's Massive Fundraising Drive Forges Ahead Despite Scandal — A recent controversy ensnaring Uber doesn't appear to be lessening the company's appeal to investors as it moves forward with plans to raise one of the largest venture-capital funding rounds in history.

More: Business Insider. Tweets: @scottthurm

Napier Lopez / The Next Web:

Uber hires former IBM Chief Privacy Officer to carry out internal review

More: Uber Blog, TechCrunch, Re/code, TechSpot, VatorNews, The Register, Fortune, ZDNet, Business Insider, SlashGear, Upstart Business Journal, Skift, TIME and The Hill. See also Mediagazer

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