Techmeme: Proof of concept shows it is possible to read WhatsApp chats from any other Android app (Lisa Eadicicco/Business Insider)

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March 12, 2014, 9:30 AM

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Jemima Kiss / Guardian:

An online Magna Carta: Berners-Lee calls for bill of rights for web — Exclusive: web's inventor warns neutrality under sustained attack from governments and corporations — The inventor of the world wide web believes an online “Magna Carta” is needed to protect and enshrine the independence …

James Robinson / PandoDaily:

Google buys the ghost of Green Throttle Games, as TV arms race gathers speed — Four months after Santa Clara-based Green Throttle Games slowly shuffled off this mortal coil, PandoDaily has confirmed that its parts and labor have been quietly scooped up by Google as a possible asset …

More: TechCrunch, ZDNet, VatorNews, The Verge, Re/code, Android Authority, Ars Technica, The Next Web, IntoMobile, WebProNews, SlashGear, Pocket-lint, 9to5Google, Engadget, VG247, Android Central, Gamasutra, Develop Feed and GamesIndustry International

David Kushner / Rolling Stone:

The Flight of the Birdman: Flappy Bird Creator Dong Nguyen Speaks Out — How did a chain-smoking geek from Hanoi design the viral hit Flappy Bird - and why did he walk away? — By — Last April, Dong Nguyen, a quiet 28-year-old who lived with his parents in Hanoi, Vietnam …

Janko Roettgers / Gigaom:

Amazon's TV streaming box to ship with Netflix and Hulu Plus apps — Amazon's Roku competitor, which could be unveiled any day now, won't just peddle the company's own video streaming service: The device will also have apps for direct competitors including Netflix and Hulu Plus on board, according to multiple sources.

More: Engadget, Electronista, Digital Trends, SlashGear and GeekWire. See also Mediagazer

David Meyer / Gigaom:

Web firms face a strict new set of privacy rules in Europe — here's what to expect — The European Parliament has overwhelmingly passed a large package of laws intended to strengthen data protection - that's “privacy” in non-legalese - across the European Union.

More: European Parliament News, European Parliament News, EU Press Room, Re/code, Wall Street Journal and EU Press Room. Tweets: @openrightsgroup. See also Mediagazer

Doug Thompson / BEEKn:

With iOS7.1, iBeacon technology will allow apps to search for signals even when closed — Apple iOS 7.1 Launches Major iBeacon Improvement — iBeacon Now Works When the App Is Closed Apple launched iOS 7.1 today and with it a major, game-changing improvement to iBeacon.

More: 9to5Mac, AppleInsider, MacStories, Cult of Mac and MacNN. Tweets: @applespotlight

John Paczkowski / Re/code:

Apple Gets Final Okay for New Union Square Store in S.F. — Apple has been given the all clear to move ahead with construction on its new flagship store in San Francisco's Union Square. After months of negotiations, the store's lengthy approval process came to an end Tuesday …

More: AppleInsider, Mashable, Cult of Mac, SlashGear, MacRumors, 9to5Mac and App Advice

Zachary M. Seward / Quartz:

The hot startup at SXSW this year was plain old television — AUSTIN, Texas—There was no breakout mobile app, no hot new startup, no celebrity founder holding court over the conference. But everywhere one turned at South By Southwest Interactive, people were talking about television.

More: Re/code, Reuters, The Next Web and Poynter. Tweets: @pkafka. See also Mediagazer

Thomas Cloer / Macworld:

Microsoft will release a new version of Office for Mac this year — Microsoft will release a new office suite for the Mac before the end of this year, according to the company's manager for Office products in Germany. — The version available today, Office:mac 2011, lags far behind …

More: ZDNet, Computerworld, MacRumors, Softpedia News, Haverzine, The Verge, SlashGear, iDownloadBlog.com, Cult of Mac, 9to5Mac, iPhone Hacks, iMore, The Register, Apple Bitch, Gotta Be Mobile, TechnoBuffalo, App Advice, The Unofficial Apple Weblog and MacNN

Reuters:

Candy Crush Saga maker King seeks $7.56 billion valuation from IPO — (Reuters) - King Digital Entertainment Plc, best known for the hit mobile phone game Candy Crush Saga, said it expects to price its U.S. initial public offering at between $21 and $24 per share, valuing the company's equity at about $7.56 billion.

More: CNET, VentureBeat, Bloomberg, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Reuters and Fortune. Tweets: @glennapetersen

Larry Dignan / ZDNet:

BlackBerry's QNX: Why it's so valuable to Apple, Google, auto industry — Summary: For smartphone giants looking to take their experiences to auto dashboards, all roads at least tie into BlackBerry's QNX platform. Here's why. — Apple's CarPlay connects into BlackBerry's QNX platform.

Thanks:@_trendspotter

Lisa Eadicicco / Business Insider:

Proof of concept shows it is possible to read WhatsApp chats from any other Android app — Hacker Claims This Crucial WhatsApp Flaw Can Expose Your Messages in Minutes — WhatsApp users should be careful when downloading Android apps. If you don't read an app's permissions attentively …

More: Bas Bosschert, TechCrunch, Ubergizmo, SlashGear, Tech2, Valleywag and Mashable. Tweets: @carnage4life

Wall Street Journal:

Amazon hopes to boost MP3 sales with limited music streaming service for Prime members — Amazon Working on Music-Streaming Service — To Spur Song Purchases, Limits Would Be Placed on Listening — Amazon.com Inc. is hoping to offer an on-demand music-streaming service to customers …

More: Billboard, Gizmodo, CNET, T3 News, Android Central, TechnoBuffalo, Business Insider, The Verge and SlashGear. Tweets: @gregbensinger

Matthew Panzarino / TechCrunch:

Apple Continues Pursuit Of IT And Education With Improvements To Its ‘Secret’ Loyalty Pricing — If you're unfamiliar with Apple's Loyalty Program, we'll forgive you. It's not all that well publicized and for pretty good reason. It only kicks in if you're the kind of person who spends …

More: ValueWalk, Softpedia News, Apple Gazette, Gigaom, iPhone in Canada Blog, Digital Trends, Macworld, PC Magazine, Cult of Mac and App Advice

Bloomberg:

Beats Music raise $60M-$100M to fund new music and features in challenge to Spotify — Jimmy Iovine's Beats Music Is Said to Raise Up to $100 Million — Beats Music LLC, the subscription streaming service from rapper Dr. Dre and record producer Jimmy Iovine, raised a second round of funding …

More: Billboard, Los Angeles Times, Digital Music News, VentureBeat, Gigaom, hypebot, Bloomberg and Mashable

Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:

Attackers trick 162,000 WordPress sites into launching DDoS attack — Technique allows lone attacker hidden in the shadows to wage crippling attacks. — Security researchers have uncovered a recent distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that used at least 162,000 WordPress-powered websites to knock another site offline.

More: The Register, Sucuri Blog, Graham Cluley, TechWeekEurope UK, SC Magazine, Computerworld, Inquirer, Softpedia News and Help Net Security

Andrew Harris / Bloomberg:

Mt. Gox U.S. Affiliate's Assets Frozen by U.S. Judge — Mt. Gox Inc., the American affiliate of the bankrupt Bitcoin exchange that lost track of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of virtual currency, had its U.S. assets frozen by a federal judge in Chicago.

More: Reuters, ZDNet, Ars Technica, Wall Street Journal, CoinDesk and The Register

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:

An Upcoming Anonymous App Called Cloaq Promises A New Way To Post & Share, No Email Or Phone Number Required — A team of engineers, who have asked to not be identified by name, are working to develop a new platform for anonymous posting called Cloaq (pronounced “cloak").

More: SocialTimes. Tweets: @drew

Biswarup Gooptu / The Economic Times:

Indian online classifieds site Quikr raises $90M led by Swedish investment firm Kinnevik — Swedish firm Kinnevik to invest $90 million in Quikr — NEW DELHI: Online and mobile classifieds venture Quikr has raised $90 million ( 550 crore) from a group of investors led …

More: Tech in Asia, TechCrunch, NextBigWhat and MediaNama

Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:

Speed-Reader Startup Spritz Closing $3.5M Seed — Spritz, a Boston-based startup that's been developing a speed-reading technology in stealth since 2011, is in the process of closing a $3.54 million seed funding round. Investors include Denis O'Brien, investing through his telco company Digicel.

More: Engadget, The Atlantic Online, Sydney Morning Herald, The Boston Globe, QR Code Press, Telegraph, Truthdig, Examiner, hngn.com, VCPOST, PalmAddict, Nextgov and blogs.telegraph.co.uk

Bloomberg:

Discovery and Eric Schmidt Back Tapp, Platform for $10-Per-Month Web Video — Reportedly in Talks With Sarah Palin for a New Pay Channel Online — Fingerpaint — Former TV executives Jeff Gaspin and Jon Klein are starting an online video service with backing from Discovery Communications …

More: The Wrap, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap and TVNewser. See also Mediagazer

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