Techmeme
December 19, 2014, 1:40 PM

Top News

FBI:
FBI concludes that the North Korean government is responsible for Sony Pictures hack  —  Update on Sony Investigation … Today, the FBI would like to provide an update on the status of our investigation into the cyber attack targeting Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE).
Brian Stelter / CNNMoney.com:
In new email sent to Sony executives, hackers threaten further release of “sensitive data” pending any “additional trouble”  —  Source: Hackers send new message to Sony  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney)  —  The hackers behind a devastating cyberattack at Sony Pictures …
Rhiannon Williams / Telegraph:
Apple CEO Tim Cook is “deeply offended” by the BBC's labor abuse allegations  —  Apple goes to war with the BBC  —  Exclusive: Chief executive Tim Cook ‘deeply offended’ by allegations made by BBC's Panorama programme that Apple is failing to protect its Chinese factory workers
Kent Walker / Google Public Policy Blog:
Google concerned by reports that MPAA is secretly working with studios to resurrect SOPA  —  The MPAA's Attempt to Revive SOPA Through A State Attorney General  —  We are deeply concerned about recent reports that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) led a secret …
Andy / TorrentFreak:
MPAA says Google positioning itself as a defender of free speech is shameful  —  Google & MPAA Publicly Slam Each Other Over Piracy  —  Even after running for weeks, the fallout from the Sony hacking fiasco is showing no signs of waning.  In fact in some areas it appears that matters are only getting worse.
Reuters:
Google will build Android Auto software directly into cars with Android M, no smartphone needed  —  Exclusive: Google aiming to go straight into car with next Android - sources  —  (Reuters) - Google Inc (GOOGL.O) is laying the groundwork for a version of Android that would be built directly into cars …
Vindu Goel / New York Times:
Instagram purges spambots; popular accounts lose millions of followers, with the company losing the most at 18.9M  —  Millions of Fake Instagram Users Disappear in Purge  —  Social media services like Facebook and Twitter are always battling against spam or fake accounts that hijack hashtags …
Richard Lawler / Engadget:
Samsung to shut down its ChatOn messaging service Feb. 1, 2015 in all markets except U.S.  —  Samsung's ChatOn service will shut down next year (update)  —  After denying reports that its ChatOn service was close to being disbanded on a region-by-region basis, Samsung has announced in Korea that it's going away.
Danny Yadron / Wall Street Journal:
Poll: 45% of Americans have been notified that payment card details were stolen in a data breach  —  Poll Shows Broad Impact of Cyberattacks  —  Just fewer than half of Americans say that a retailer, bank or credit-card company has told them or a household member that their payment card details …
More: 9to5Mac
Kevin C. Tofel / Gigaom:
Sales rise in McDonald's tests of beacons for wireless offers of promotions on iOS/Android  —  Hold the beacon: McDonald's tests wireless offers near stores  —  Credit: Flickr / Kenny Louie  —  Credit: Flickr / Kenny Louie  —  McDonald's was one of the first retail locations I used …
Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:
Computer intrusion inflicts massive damage on German steel factory  —  A German steel factory suffered significant damage after attackers gained unauthorized access to computerized systems that help control its blast furnace, according to a report published Friday by IDG News.
More: Gigaom and ITworld.com
Benjamin Mayo / 9to5Mac:
Apple increases app prices in Russia in response to changing exchange rates  —  Apple has today informed developers that it has changed the pricing of apps and In-App Purchases in the Russian App Store, following changes to exchange rates.  The recent ruble-dollar rates have fluctuated …
Owen Thomas / ReadWrite:
Square ports feature that lets you pay by saying your name from discontinued Wallet app to Square Order, offers the service free to merchants  —  Square Is Resurrecting Wallet, Its Pay-By-Name Mobile App, And Giving It Away  —  Wallet, the pay-by-name app that payments company Square introduced …
More: ReadWrite.  Thanks:@owenthomas
Facebook:
Stickered from Facebook's Creative Labs lets you add stickers to photos you send on Messenger; available for Android, coming to iOS  —  Happy Holidays from Messenger  —  By Peter Martinazzi, Director of Product Management  —  The holidays are an important time for people to be connected …
More: TechCrunch
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Few Winners In Anonymous Social Networking, And Secret's Not One Of Them  —  Is anonymous social networking a flash-in-the-pan trend?  A winner-take-all category?  Which of the anonymous social networking apps around today are still thriving, and which are practically dead?
More: Medium, Engadget and The Next Web.  Tweets: @parmy
Greg Kumparak / TechCrunch:
Xbox One To Get Pandora, Vevo, Popcornflix And More Apps This Week  —  Microsoft might have said that they're done shipping their big Xbox One software updates for the year — but that doesn't mean they can't release a few new toys in the form of apps.  —  The company has just announced five …

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Junio C Hamano / Gmane: