Techmeme
December 24, 2016, 12:20 PM

Top News

Jerry Beilinson / Consumer Reports:
In a first for MacBooks, Consumer Reports won't recommend 2016 MacBook Pros after testing reveals inconsistent battery life  —  Yes, it's the battery life.  Lab tests reveal problems in three different MacBook Pro models  —  Apple launched a new series of MacBook Pro laptops this fall …
Jon Russell / TechCrunch:
Cyanogen announces shut down of all services and nightly builds on December 31; users with devices running Cyanogen OS must switch to open source CyanogenMod  —  It's been a rocky few months for Cyanogen, the ambitious startup that aimed to build a better version of Android than Google.
Tony Romm / Politico:
US government now presents travelers entering on visa waiver program with optional request to provide names of their social media accounts  —  NEW YORK — The U.S. government quietly began requesting that select foreign visitors provide their Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts upon arriving …
Liza Lin / Wall Street Journal:
After US put Alibaba's Taobao site back on counterfeiters blacklist, Alibaba says it will create advisory board with international brands to tackle fake goods  —  Advisory board is intended to improve intellectual-property enforcement  —  Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. …
Lucy Battersby / Sydney Morning Herald:
Federal Court of Australia fines Valve 3M Australian dollars over Steam store refund policies  —  Gaming company Valve Corporation has been hit with a $3 million fine after the Federal Court found its online games site Steam breached Australian Consumer Laws.
Shane Harris / Wall Street Journal:
Report: source code for malicious version of Android app used by Ukraine military shows malware used in DNC hack, raising confidence of Fancy Bear-Kremlin ties  —  Report adds evidence to allegations that the hackers were working for the Russian government  —  WASHINGTON—Malicious software used …
Laura Stevens / Wall Street Journal:
How shopping online, shared Amazon accounts, web browser histories, and targeted advertising make it hard to keep holiday gifts secret from family and friends  —  Online shopping makes it simple to buy gifts, but cookies, browsing histories and thumbprint passwords make it hard to hide them; it's from Amazon, not Santa
Tweets: @wsj
Alex Heath / Business Insider:
Twitter's Android app inflated video ad metrics between Nov. 7 and Dec. 12, source says by up to 35%; Twitter admits technical error and refunds advertisers  —  A bug in a recent version of Twitter's Android app inflated video advertising metrics by as much as 35%, a person familiar with the matter told Business Insider.

Sponsor Posts

Google:
Try Gemini 3 Pro  —  Google's newest and most intelligent AI model that helps you bring any idea to life
Shopify:
Shopify: Revolutionizing Commerce with Winter Edition '26  —  Over 150+ new features transform how merchants build, design, and grow—with technology that amplifies creative vision.
Zoho:
Email fatigue is real: Here's how smart email tools help you regain control  —  Picture this: It's Monday morning.  You walk into the office feeling energized and ready to take on the week.
IDrive:
Protecting your Cloud Applications Data  —  Backing up Office 365, Google Workspace, Dropbox & Box data is critical to preventing data loss or corruption, complying with laws and avoiding critical downtime in case of a disaster.

Featured Podcasts

Big Technology Podcast:
OpenAI's 2026 Priority, Disney's AI Play, Datacenter Buildout Trouble
The Big Technology Podcast takes you behind the scenes in the tech world featuring interviews with plugged-in insiders and outside agitators.
Subscribe to Big Technology Podcast.
Hard Fork:
Australia Kicks Kids Off Social Media + Is the A.I. Water Issue Fake? + Hard Fork Wrapped
The future is already here. Each week, journalists Kevin Roose and Casey Newton explore and make sense of the latest in the rapidly changing world of tech.
Subscribe to Hard Fork.
Access:
Why the next AI frontier is phone calls, with Beside CEO Maxime Germain
A show about the tech industry's inside conversation, hosted by tech reporter Alex Heath and founder whisperer Ellis Hamburger.
Subscribe to Access.
Great Chat:
So what happens after AGI?
A podcast mostly about tech. Brought to you weekly by Angela Du, Sally Shin, Mac Bohannon, Helen Min, and Ashley Mayer.
Subscribe to Great Chat.
Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith:
Ted Sarandos: Netflix and how tech changed storytelling
Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith speaks with leaders in government, business, and culture to explore the most critical challenges at the intersection of technology and society.
Subscribe to Tools and Weapons with Brad Smith.
Channels with Peter Kafka:
Lachlan Cartwright Started in Tabloids. Now He's a Must-Read Media Gossip.
Media and tech aren't just intersecting - they're fully intertwined. To understand how those worlds work, Peter Kafka talks to industry leaders, upstarts and observers.
Subscribe to Channels with Peter Kafka.
 

About This Page

This is a Techmeme archive page. It shows how the site appeared at 12:20 PM ET, December 24, 2016.

The most current version of the site as always is available at our home page. To view an earlier snapshot click here and then modify the date indicated.

More News

Earlier Picks

Ken Yeung / VentureBeat:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: