Techmeme
December 16, 2015, 6:20 PM

Top News

New York Times:
Facebook partners with Uber to let users in US request rides from within Messenger, first Uber ride's free; Facebook says more ride-hailing services to be added  —  Facebook and Uber Follow Asian Rivals in Plan to Enhance Messenger App  —  For years, Asia's technology giants have been one step ahead …
Russell Brandom / The Verge:
CISA, stripped of key privacy protections, was included in an omnibus budget bill introduced in the US House last night  —  Congress snuck a surveillance bill into the federal budget last night  —  After more than a year of stalemate, Congress has used an unconventional procedural measure …
Bloomberg Business:
Google to Make Driverless Cars an Alphabet Company in 2016  —  Unit said to plan transportation service in Uber challenge  —  Autonomous vehicles seen reducing roadway fatalities  —  Google Inc. plans to make its self-driving cars unit, which will offer rides for hire …
Alex Kantrowitz / BuzzFeed:
Facebook's Instant Articles officially go live on Android phones today, with over 350 publications globally  —  Facebook's Instant Articles Officially Go Live On Android Phones Today  —  Facebook's fast-loading Instant Articles are going live across all Android phones worldwide today following …
Joe Mullin / Ars Technica:
Pandora to pay royalty of 17 cents per 100 songs, up from 14 cents, after copyright board decision, with rates rising with inflation through 2020  —  Copyright tribunal slaps Pandora with 20 percent rate increase  —  A little-known panel of judges determines what Internet radio must pay.
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Microsoft launches Skype for Business app out of preview on Android  —  Microsoft today launched its Skype for Business app for Android out of preview.  You can now download the new app directly from Google Play — Android users with Lync 2013 will be automatically updated to the Skype for Business app based on their device settings.
Joseph Ax / Reuters:
Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:
Afero, a startup led by Danger co-founder Joe Britt, brings its IoT dev platform out of stealth  —  Afero Is An IoT Dev Platform Play Built By Danger Co-Founder Joe Britt  —  Remember Danger?  The mobile maker Microsoft acquired for $500 million back in 2008 in the hopes of firing up its mobile fortunes?
Ken Yeung / VentureBeat:
Slack hits 2M daily active users, launches third-party App Directory, $80M developer fund  —  Slack has made its next move in building out its platform.  At a major press event in San Francisco today, the company announced that it has launched a third-party App Directory aimed …
Husain Sumra / MacRumors:
Social Analytics Firm Topsy Shut Down by Apple Two Years After Purchase  —  Two years after being purchased by Apple for $200 million, social analytics firm Topsy today announced the end of its service.  On Twitter, the company tweeted that it has “searched [its] last tweet.”

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More News

Brad Smith / The Official Microsoft Blog:
Emil Protalinski / VentureBeat:
Ben Wheeler / Medium:

Earlier Picks

Mark Scott / New York Times:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch: