Techmeme
January 19, 2016, 5:00 PM

Top News

Jon Russell / TechCrunch:
Amnesty International report alleges 16 companies including Apple, Samsung, Microsoft source cobalt from mines which employ child labor  —  Apple, Microsoft, Samsung And Other Tech Firms Implicated In Child Labor Report  —  Apple, Samsung and Microsoft are among a host of tech companies …
New York Times:
Microsoft acquires MinecraftEdu, a modified version of Minecraft tailored for use in schools, used in 7K classrooms in over 40 countries  —  Microsoft Acquires MinecraftEdu, Tailored for Schools  —  SEATTLE — When Microsoft acquired the creator of the game Minecraft in 2014 …
Alex Dobie / Android Central:
Confirmed: Samsung changes Galaxy Note 5 internals to fix upside-down S Pen issue  —  Company confirms it has changed the Note 5's internals to stop its stylus getting stuck  —  Back around the time that the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 first went to market, a few unfortunate owners found …
Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo joins Index Ventures as partner, cofounds new fitness startup  —  Six months after stepping down as CEO of Twitter, Dick Costolo has revealed what his next move will be, now that he's handed control of the social network back to Jack Dorsey.
Ryan Whitwam / Android Police:
Google testing option to install apps directly from search results on Android without opening Play Store  —  Google Is Rolling Out The Ability To Install Apps Directly From Search Results  —  Google is always testing one or two little things in search results, but this is a more significant change.
Jon Brodkin / Ars Technica:
Verizon Wireless to begin selling data cap exemptions to content providers January 25 with beta trial of its new FreeBee Data 360 service  —  Verizon Wireless selling data cap exemptions to content providers  —  Video, music, app downloads, and ads can be exempted from caps for a fee.
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
First Amazon Dash-Powered Devices Go Live, Will Automatically Reorder Supplies For You  —  Your household appliances are getting smarter: think printers that re-order ink when you're low, or washers that dispense just the right amount of detergent then send you more before you run out.
Joseph Cox / Motherboard:
Facebook Android app update lets you connect through Tor via the Tor Project's Orbot app  —  Facebook Android App Update Makes It Easier to Connect Through Tor  —  Facebook, a company based on publicly sharing details about yourself, continues to make it easier for users to maintain some privacy when they visit the site.
Richard Gray / Daily Mail:
Social networking site Friends Reunited shuts down after 15+ years as founder works on new private sharing site Liife  —  Friends Reunited founder Steve Pankhurst says the site is closing  —  It allowed countless adults renew friendships and even rekindle old relationships long before Facebook arrived on the scene.
Eric Newcomer / Bloomberg Business:
GM buys Sidecar assets for less than the company raised, hiring 20 including CTO, as it plans possible commute-sharing service for GM owners  —  General Motors Salvages Ride-Hailing Company Sidecar for Parts  —  The automaker is buying the startup's technology and assets
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Starbucks Now Lets You Save The Songs You Heard In-Store To Spotify  —  Starbucks and streaming service Spotify are expanding their relationship today with the launch of a new digital music experience for Starbucks customers which will allow them to identify songs being played in stores …
Nathan Donato-Weinstein / Silicon Valley Business …:
YouTube purchases 550K square foot office center in San Bruno for $215M  —  YouTube grabs 550,000 SF in giant San Bruno expansion  —  Making its biggest expansion play yet, Google Inc.'s YouTube division just acquired a sprawling office park near its San Bruno headquarters in a deal …
Amar Toor / The Verge:
Apple's federal EEO-1 filing shows that its diversity in US barely improved last year, contradicting figures reported by Apple in August  —  Apple's US diversity barely improved last year  —  Apple's US workforce is slightly more diverse than it was last year, but the company remains overwhelmingly white …
Eugene Kim / Business Insider:
Hortonworks shares drop more than 35%, after announcing plans last week for secondary stock offering to raise $100M  —  Hortonworks shares are tanking after news of secondary stock offering  —  Hortonworks shares are down more than 21% Tuesday morning, after the company …

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Earlier Picks

Shara Tibken / CNET: