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Social
“The idea here is to give people more accessible information about how Facebook works,” said Erin Egan, the company’s chief privacy officer. Facebook

Facebook Tries to Explain Its Privacy Settings but Advertising Still Rules

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The social network will give users simpler explanations and animated tutorials on major privacy features. But the company is still giving users very little control over how their personal information is used to sell advertising.Read more…

Internet
Brian Roberts, chief executive of Comcast, whose critics have raised concerns that the cable giant could use sophisticated technologies to become a more powerful gatekeeper of TV content. Tracie Van Auken for The New York Times

Comcast Reiterates Net Neutrality Position at Showcase for New Product

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At a media event in San Francisco on Wednesday, Comcast showed a new version of X1, its new TV operating system, and answered questions about President Obama’s recent call for strict net neutrality rules. Read more…

Yahoo
Marissa Mayer, Yahoo’s chief executive, speaking in April at the NewFronts, an advertising industry event. Ms. Mayer said on Tuesday that BrightRoll would “dramatically strengthen” Yahoo’s video advertising platform. David McIntyre

Yahoo Buys BrightRoll, a Video Ad Platform, for $640 Million

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The purchase, which had been rumored for weeks, was the Internet company’s largest acquisition since it bolstered its coffers with $6.3 billion from the Alibaba initial public offering.Read more…

Policy
Margrethe Vestager, Europe's new antitrust chief, in September. Google has faced an increasing barrage of criticism in Europe over privacy. Jens Noergaard Larsen/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

European Antitrust Regulators to Hold Discussions With Google’s Rivals

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The new competition commissioner for the European Union says she wants to hear what companies most concerned about Google’s practices have to say before resolving the union’s longstanding antitrust case.Read more…

Gaming
Google’s Chromecast allows people to stream content from their mobile phones and tablets onto TVs. Jaime Henry-White/Associated Press

Google Chromecast Adds Games

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Google’s Chromecast streaming device now has the ability to let people play video games in tandem. Read more…

Cloud Computing

GitHub Hits the Cloud

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The popular method of creating software says its business version will be available for direct use on the most popular public cloud. GitHub also said it now has 17 million repositories, or projects, on file. At the start of the year it had 10 million.Read more…

Privacy
An email from Anthem Blue Cross, which contained personal information in the subject line, encouraged members to visit their doctors for check ups and to discuss certain medical screening tests.

Oops! Health Insurer Exposes Member Data

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Anthem Blue Cross, one of the largest health insurers in California, inadvertently sent emails to some members with demographic and health information in the subject lines.Read more…

Mobile
Apple advises those who still have an iPhone but plan on switching to something else to turn iMessage off in the phone’s settings first. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Apple Releases Web Tool for iPhone Switchers

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A new web tool allows former iPhone users to deregister their phone numbers from Apple’s proprietary messaging service, iMessage.Read more…

Policy
Enda Kenny, Ireland's prime minister, rang in the first day of the Web Summit, a gathering of tech and media industries, in Dublin on Nov. 4. Brendan Moran/Sportsfile for Web Summit

Ireland Vies to Remain Silicon Valley’s Low-Tax Home Away From Home

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Though Ireland has been under international pressure to close loopholes that have drawn companies like Google and Microsoft, the country is still touting its low-tax appeal.Read more…

Social
Facebook is giving users more control of the kind of posts they see and from whom.

Facebook Makes Its News Feed a Little Less Frustrating

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The social network rolled out new tools Friday to give users more control over what they see on its main screen. Facebook has made improving its news feed a top priority, and more changes are coming soon.Read more…

Security
Home Depot said hackers used the user name and password of one of its vendors to gain a foothold in its computer systems. Toby Talbot/Associated Press

Home Depot Says Hackers Also Stole Email Addresses

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Hackers took 53 million email addresses in addition to the payment card details of 56 million of its customers during this year’s data breach, the retailer disclosed.Read more…

Wearable Computing
The Up3, the third iteration of Jawbone’s screen-free wristband.

Jawbone Up3 Band Takes Tracking to the Extreme

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Jawbone, the activity tracker pioneer, is introducing the Up3 band and the inexpensive Up Move activity tracker. The trackers — as well as Jawbone’s focus on activity, health and data tracking — are cementing the company’s status as a whole-health juggernaut. Read more…

Start-ups
Inside the San Francisco offices of Lyft, which has sued a former executive, who joined its competitor Uber two months after leaving the company. Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Lyft Sues Former Executive, Saying He Stole Trade Secrets

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The ride-hailing start-up claims its former chief operating officer took a trove of sensitive documents with him to his new job at Uber, the company’s largest competitor. Read more…