Techmeme
October 31, 2014, 9:55 PM

Top News

Andy Greenberg / Wired:
Facebook now available through Tor browsers at an onion address, SSL still enabled  —  Why Facebook Just Launched Its Own ‘Dark Web’ Site  —  Facebook has never had much of a reputation for letting users hide their identities online.  But now the world's least anonymous website has just joined the Web's most anonymous network.
Douglas MacMillan / Wall Street Journal:
Slack raised $120M at $1.12B valuation in a round led by Kleiner and Google Ventures, all previous backers participated too  —  Slack's One-Year-Old Software Business Valued at $1.12 Billion  —  Workplace collaboration tool Slack didn't exist two years ago.
JP Mangalindan / Fortune:
Amazon exec: We priced the Fire phone wrong  —  When it introduced the Fire smartphone in July, Amazon bet sales would be something worth bragging about.  But three months in, it's obvious the Fire phone is more dud than runaway success.  —  Last week, Amazon CTO Tom Szkutak disclosed …
David Pierce / The Verge:
Microsoft Band first impressions: clunky hardware, useful software; tile interface works well  —  Wearing the Microsoft Band, the next big thing in fitness tracking  —  I've been wearing it for two hours, and I'm still acutely aware that it's there.  This is the first and most unavoidable thing …
Kara Swisher / Re/code:
Come Out, Come Out: The Tim Cook Moment Is Here  —  Looking back, I guess we in the media might have asked Apple CEO Tim Cook if he were gay.  —  Me especially, since I am gay.  And, like many, I had heard all the assumptions about the self-effacing exec's sexual orientation, even though he and I had never once discussed the issue.
Elisabeth Hulette / Virginian-Pilot:
Circuit court rules criminal defendant can be forced by police to unlock phone with his fingerprint, but not his passcode  —  Police can require cellphone fingerprint, not pass code  —  A Circuit Court judge has ruled that a criminal defendant can be compelled to give up his fingerprint …
Dan Levine / Reuters:
Samsung in court filing says its deal with Microsoft would invite “charges of collusion” following Nokia acquisition  —  Samsung says Microsoft deal invites ‘charges of collusion’: filing  —  (Reuters) - Samsung said its collaboration with Microsoft on Windows phones raised …
Danny Sullivan / Search Engine Land:
Will He Ever Return?  Head Of Google's Web Spam Team Matt Cutts Extends Leave Into 2015  —  The head of Google's web spam team, Matt Cutts, says that his leave from the company has gone so well that he'll be continuing it through 2015.  —  Cutts shared the news today in a note added …
Micah L. Sifry / Mother Jones:
Before 2012 election, Facebook increased hard news stories in 1.9M feeds, which added measurably to civic engagement and voter turnout  —  Facebook Wants You to Vote on Tuesday.  Here's How It Messed With Your Feed in 2012.  —  The social network tries to promote voting …
Ben Popper / The Verge:
Banking giant BBVA Compass partners with Dwolla for real-time transfers at reduced fees  —  A banking giant and payment startup unite to modernize money transfer  —  As the mainstream adoption and subsequent uproar around Apple Pay has shown, people are beginning to expect …

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Earlier Picks

Sophie Knight / Reuters:
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
Jessica Dolcourt / CNET: