Attention Shopper: Stores Are Tracking Your Cell  —  Like dozens of other brick-and-mortar retailers, Nordstrom wanted to learn more about its customers — how many came through the doors, how many were repeat visitors — the kind of information that e-commerce sites like Amazon have in spades.

Do Things that Don't Scale  —  One of the most common types of advice we give at Y Combinator is to do things that don't scale.  A lot of would-be founders believe that startups either take off or don't.  You build something, make it available, and if you've made a better mousetrap, people beat a path to your door as promised.

Apple Reportedly Signs Deal with Samsung for 14-nm A9 Chips Starting in 2015  —  The Korea Economic Daily reports that Apple and Samsung today officially signed an agreement that will see the two companies working together on future A-series chips for Apple's iOS devices …

Travellers' mobile phone data seized by police at border  —  Thousands of innocent holidaymakers and travellers are having their phones seized and personal data downloaded and stored by the police, The Telegraph can disclose.  —  A police officer can stop any passenger at random …

Inside The Massive Global Black Market For Smartphones  —  Before a federal SWAT team descended last summer, one storefront in a Detroit suburb attracted so many people bearing shopping bags stuffed with iPhones and iPads that managers installed a port-a-potty on the sidewalk.

Leaked letter shows ISPs and government at war  —  I've written before on the dialogue of the deaf between politicians and the internet industry over child internet safety - and now the relationship seems to be getting even worse.  A letter sent to the UK's four leading ISPs from the government has made them very cross indeed.

Apple ‘Aggressively’ Hiring for Smart Watch Project, Looking Toward Late 2014 Launch  —  Financial Times reports that Apple is “aggressively” hiring new employees to help with its smart watch effort, suggesting that the company needs additional expertise to tackle the project's challenges.

Kabam Hits $700 Million Valuation With Employee Stock Sale  —  Closely held videogame maker Kabam says it is now worth $700 million, based on a recent private transaction that allowed employees to sell $38.5 million of common stock.  —  None of the money will go to the San Francisco-based company itself …

Researchers hack Verizon device, turn it into mobile spy station  —  (Reuters) - Two security experts said they have figured out how to spy on Verizon Wireless mobile phone customers by hacking into devices the U.S. carrier sells to boost wireless signals indoors.

Surface Watch?  Microsoft allegedly testing a ‘translucent aluminum’ smartwatch  —  Microsoft's prototype smartwatch testing has moved over to its Surface team.  Sources familiar with Microsoft's Surface plans have revealed to The Verge that the company is now prototyping devices directly under …

N.S.A. Leaks Revive Push in Russia to Control Net  —  MOSCOW — Edward J. Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor, fled the United States saying he did not want to live in a surveillance state.  —  But now the Russians are using his very presence here …