Techmeme: Microsoft announces its cloud services are compliant with ISO 27018, a new international standard for privacy (Brad Smith/Microsoft on the Issues)

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February 17, 2015, 10:05 AM

Top News

Dan Goodin / Ars Technica:

Extensive Kasperky Lab report details advanced spy capabilities of Stuxnet-linked threat actor dubbed “Equation Group” — How “omnipotent” hackers tied to NSA hid for 14 years—and were found at last — “Equation Group” ran the most advanced hacking operation ever uncovered.

Joseph Menn / Reuters:

NSA-linked “Equation Group” can infect computers repeatedly via spyware inserted in hard disk firmware — Russian researchers expose breakthrough U.S. spying program — (Reuters) - The U.S. National Security Agency has figured out how to hide spying software deep within hard drives …

More: The Hill, DSLreports, Inquirer, Engadget, ZDNet, BGR, The Next Web, Securelist, The Verge, Forbes, Gizmodo, Tech Times, The Register, TechWeekEurope UK, Wall Street Journal, Neowin, Boing Boing and VentureBreak

Tweets: @violetblue, @csoghoian, @dangillmor, @info_activism and @jonathan_blow

Brad Smith / Microsoft on the Issues:

Microsoft announces its cloud services are compliant with ISO 27018, a new international standard for privacy — Microsoft adopts first international cloud privacy standard — Today marks a major milestone, as Microsoft is the first major cloud provider to adopt the world's first international standard for cloud privacy.

Lorraine Luk / Wall Street Journal:

Apple Orders More Than 5 Million Watches for Initial Run — Apple has asked its suppliers in Asia to make a combined five to six million units of its three Apple Watch models during the first quarter ahead of the product's release in April, according to people familiar with the matter.

More: TechCrunch, Reuters, AppleInsider, Fortune, Patently Apple, Business Insider, MacDailyNews and CNET

Ian Parker / New Yorker:

An in-depth look inside the top-secret lab where Jonathan Ive's design team created the Apple Watch — The Shape of Things to Come — How an industrial designer became Apple's greatest product. — I. Launch Day … “We can do this the easy way or we can do this the cute way.” — »

Mike Beasley / 9to5Mac:

WSJ: Apple struggled to find purpose for Apple Watch after many planned health features were cut — The Wall Street Journal revealed tonight that many of the planned health features that Apple intended to include in its first-generation wearable were cut from the final product.

More: Wall Street Journal, CNET, Business Insider, BGR, The Register, Forbes, ZDNet, Daily Mail, Inquirer, Digital Trends, VentureBeat, TechnoBuffalo, MacRumors, The Verge, Tech.pinions, Neowin, iMore, iDownloadBlog.com, Engadget and Ubergizmo

Tweets: @patrick1barta, @paulharapin and @patrick1barta

Conor Dougherty / New York Times:

Google X head Astro Teller says Neural Network Project, formerly Google Brain, produces value comparable to total Google X costs — Astro Teller, Google's ‘Captain of Moonshots,’ on Making Profits at Google X — Google is all over the place. From biotechnology and robots to satellites …

More: Business Insider, New York Times, 9to5Google and Beyond Search

Ryan Whitwam / Android Police:

Sony announces pre-orders of SmartEyeglass Developer Edition, in the UK and Germany for $840 — Sony Announces Pre-Orders Of SmartEyeglass Developer Edition, Starting Today In The UK And Germany For $840 — Sony slipped the official SmartEyeglass app into the Play Store yesterday …

More: Developer World, Sony Global, CNET, TechCrunch, Computerworld, Fox News, BetaNews, Android Community, The Verge, Engadget, Wearables Arena, GSMArena Blog, Geeky Gadgets, Ubergizmo, SlashGear and The Next Web

Kirk Koenigsbauer / Office Blogs:

Microsoft updates Office mobile and web apps to support third-party cloud storage services — New cloud storage integration for Office — Today's post was written by Kirk Koenigsbauer, corporate vice president for the Office team. — We want Office to be the preferred way to work with documents no matter where they're stored.

More: PC World, The Verge, VentureBeat, 9to5Mac, Business Wire and iDownloadBlog.com. Tweets: @msftnews

Harrison Weber / VentureBeat:

Pebble's Android Wear support goes from beta to public release — Smartwatch maker Pebble now supports Android Wear notifications — Obsessed with mobile growth? Join us February 23-24 when we reveal the best technologies and strategies to help your company grow on mobile.

More: Pebble, Ink, Bits, & Pixels, PC World, MacNN, Engadget, TechCrunch, The Next Web, GSMArena Blog, Android Police, Android Community, Android Central, Wearables Arena, PhoneDog.com, Technology Personalized, BetaNews, 9to5Google, Ubergizmo and SlashGear. Tweets: @pebble

Carmel DeAmicis / Gigaom:

Yik Yak's growth flatlined after funding by Sequoia, raising the question of whether the product was a fad — Yik Yak's growth flatlined after funding, but why? — Yik Yak, the app that's becoming a social media staple on college campuses in the U.S., saw its downloads dip and flatline right around …

Michael Zhang / PetaPixel:

Toshiba developing rear 5MP and 13MP camera modules and a front-facing 2MP module for Project Ara — Toshiba Shows Off its Camera Module Prototypes for Google's Project Ara Phone — Google is hard at work on Project Ara, a modular smartphone that will allow users to swap critical components in and out, including the onboard camera.

More: PC World, SiliconANGLE, 9to5Google, Pocket-lint, Electronista, Christian News …, TechRadar.com, TrustedReviews, Android Community, Phandroid, Liliputing, TechnoBuffalo, SlashGear, Ubergizmo, Android Authority, Image Sensors World and PhoneArena

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