Techmeme
December 11, 2014, 7:35 AM

Top News

Re/code:
Sources: Sony Pictures using AWS to execute denial-of-service attack on sites where its stolen data is available  —  Sony Pictures Tries to Disrupt Downloads of its Stolen Files  —  Sony Pictures Entertainment is fighting back.  —  The studio behind the “Spider-Man” franchise and …
Greg Sterling / Search Engine Land:
Google News to shut down in Spain Dec. 16 in response to recently passed Spanish copyright law  —  Strict New “Copyright Law” Forces End Of Google News In Spain  —  Google has decided to shut down Google News in Spain.  This drastic step will occur next week (December 16) …
Neeraj Saxena / Times of India:
Xiaomi banned from selling, importing phones in India: Report  —  NEW DELHI: Delhi high court has put paid to Xiaomi's surging sales juggernaut in India.  At least for now.  Hearing a case filed by Ericsson India against Xiaomi, the court on Monday passed an ex parte order forbidding …
Peter Bright / Ars Technica:
Xbox, Windows Store now accepting Bitcoin payments  —  You can now use Bitcoin to add funds to your Microsoft account.  —  Microsoft has added Bitcoin support to Microsoft accounts.  Bitcoin funds can be added to accounts to enable digital purchases from the Windows, Windows Phone, Xbox Games, Xbox Music, and Xbox Video stores.
William Petroski / Des Moines Register:
Iowa to allow drivers to use new mobile app as official driver's license in 2015  —  Iowa to launch smartphone driver's license  —  Iowans will soon be able to use a mobile app on their smartphones as their official driver's license issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Mikey Campbell / AppleInsider:
Apple debuts cellular LTE-equipped iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 in China  —  Apple on Wednesday announced cellular-capable iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 models will be available in China later this week, offering support for region-specific wireless networks used by major telecoms like the world-leader China Mobile.
Holly Ormseth / Facebook Media:
Facebook releases new tools for publishers to offer greater automation and better targeting, improves Insights, fixes referrer data bug for iOS  —  New Tools and Insights for Publishers  —  Over the past few months, we've listened to publishers around the world to better understand …
Jere Suikkila / HERE Three Sixty:
Nokia's HERE maps app now available for free on Google Play; iOS version coming in early 2015  —  HERE for Android now available for free on Google Play  —  More than a million of you have already taken HERE for Android beta for a spin, with the most active downloaders coming from Germany and the USA.
Kyle Alspach / BostInno:
Confirmed: Backupify Has Been Acquired by Datto in Cloud Backup Consolidation  —  New England may have a new tech heavyweight in-the-making with the acquisition of Cambridge's Backupify by Norwalk, Conn.-based Datto, which will form a company with more than 400 employees and revenue potentially nearing the nine-digits for this year.
More: Forbes, TechCrunch and XconomyThanks:@kylealspach
Joshua Brustein / Businessweek:
Jawbone discounts its fitness trackers for corporate customers with UP for Groups  —  Your Boss Would Like You to Wear a Jawbone Fitness Tracker  —  Jawbone wants to become a part of the workday.  The company's new service, UP for Groups, will sell discounted fitness trackers …
Robert Hackett / Fortune:
Cybersecurity firm Area 1 Security, founded by ex-NSA employees, raises $8M Series A led by Kleiner Perkins  —  Can three ex-NSA snoops stop the worst hacks before they start?  —  An e-mail arrives in your inbox: relevant, knowingly addressed to you, hardly suspicious.
Catherine Shu / TechCrunch:
Korean E-commerce Leader Coupang Raises $300M Led By BlackRock  —  Seoul-based Coupang, an online retailer, announced today that it has raised an impressive $300 million in new funding led by BlackRock Private Equity Partners, with participation from Wellington Management Company, LLP …
Alex Wawro / Gamasutra:
Kabam shifts focus to mobile, sells off social games to RockYou  —  Free-to-play game company Kabam is abandoning social games in favor of the lucrative mobile market at the same time that RockYou is trying to buy up unwanted social games, so it's not so surprising that Kabam just sold …
Greg Kumparak / TechCrunch:
Sidecar Follows The Competition, Starts Charging A $1 “RideSafe” Fee  —  Last year, Uber introduced a “Safe Rides” fee that added a $1 charge to uberX fares.  This fee, they said, was meant to help them cover the cost of background checks, vehicle screenings, and “the development of safety features.”
More: GeekWire
Janko Roettgers / Gigaom:
Netflix wants its app on cable providers' set-top boxes, may be nearing a deal with AT&T  —  Netflix wants to hook up with your cable company in 2015  —  Netflix's new strategy to take on cable involves becoming best friends with cable: The video streaming service has been working hard …
More: DSLreports

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