news update: Agustus 2013

Sabtu, 31 Agustus 2013

Twitter's Legal Chief Steps Down

Twitter's Legal Chief Steps Down

Twitter's general counsel, Alex Macgillivray, is stepping down as the micro-blogging service's legal chief after four years.

"It has been my privilege to work and fight on behalf of great companies and their users over the last decade. A privilege and a lot of work," Macgillivray wrote in a blog post. "So, I'm looking forward to engaging my various internet passions from new and different perspectives, seeing friends and family without distraction, and just goofing off a bit. We should all do more of that."

Vijaya Gadde will take over for Macgillivray as Twitter's general counsel. "Honored to work with the @twitter legal and @safety teams as we continue to defend our users around the world," Gadde tweeted yesterday.

Macgillivray said he will "dial back" his daily involvement with Twitter during a transition period. "I'll continue to support the company and its great people by staying on as an advisor for the legal, trust safety, corporate development and public policy teams," he wrote. "I continue to care deeply about Twitter, the folks who work at Twitter and our tremendous users, so I'll remain close to all three."

Macgillivray joined Twitter from Google in 2009 at a time when Twitter was really just starting to pick up steam. It was testing verified accounts and had to contend with a few outages, but was largely just getting its sea legs. However, in recent years - as more and more people have turned to the service for political purposes - Twitter has been faced with government requests for data and censorship.

Twitter has pushed back on many U.S. government efforts to secure user data, including that of a Occupy Wall Street protestor. Overseas, that policy has resulted in bans from regimes who do not want their citizens using Twitter to organize protests - from Egypt to Pakistan to Iran.

In Jan. 2012, Twitter announced that, going forward, it would be able to block tweets that ran afoul of certain countries' restrictions on speech. Germany and France, for example, ban pro-Nazi content, but it is protected speech under the First Amendment here in the United States. As a result, Twitter could ban such content from users in Germany and France, but it would remain live for those in the U.S. Some were concerned that Twitter would honor takedown requests from repressive regimes, but the company denied it.

The first use of the policy happened in Oct. 2012 when Twitter blocked access in Germany to the account of a neo-Nazi group known as Besseres Hannover.

"I am proud to have worked with colleagues who defend and respect the user's voice; who push freedom of expression and transparency; and who innovate and lead," Macgillivray said this week.

Apple Stores get in on the iPhone trade-in action

Apple Stores get in on the iPhone trade-in action

Jumat, 30 Agustus 2013

Apple Begins IPhone Trade-In Program to Boost Sales

Apple Begins IPhone Trade-In Program to Boost Sales

Apple Inc. (AAPL) has started an iPhone trade-in program letting owners sell older handsets back to the company in exchange for credit toward a new model.

Appleâ€™s U.S. retail stores are now accepting devices, said Amy Bessette, a spokeswoman for Apple. The initiative is starting just before the next iPhoneâ€™s debut on Sept. 10.

While Gazelle Inc. and wireless carriers such as Verizon Wireless and ATT Inc. (T) already buy used handsets, this is the first program run by the iPhone maker. By buying old phones, theyâ€™re aiming to spur new device sales by helping cover the cost of buying the latest sma rtphone. Apple is teaming up with Brightstar Corp., a mobile-phone distributor, to run the operation, people with knowledge of the plans said in June.

â€œIPhones hold great value so Apple Retail Stores are launching a new program to assist customers who wish to bring in their previous-generation iPhone for reuse or recycling,â€ Bessette said. â€œIn addition to helping support the environment, customers will be able to receive a credit for their returned phone that they can use toward the purchase of a new iPhone.â€

The money paid back depends on the condition of the phone. An iPhone 5 with 64 gigabytes of memory can fetch $350 through Gazelleâ€™s website, while an iPhone 3GS may receive only $10. The most that any iPhone will fetch at an Apple Store is $280.

Without a subsidy from a carrier, an iPhone 5 costs $649 to $849 depending on the amount of memory, compared with $199 to $399 with a wireless contract.

Used iPhones collected through th ese programs are often refurbished and used as replacements for ones that break, or resold in emerging markets.

To contact the reporter on this story: Adam Satariano in San Francisco at asatariano1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Pui-Wing Tam at ptam13@bloomberg.net

Enlarge image

Apple Begins IPhone Trade-In Program for Money Toward New Models

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Customers look over an Apple Inc. iPhone 5 at a store in San Francisco.

Customers look over an Apple Inc. iPhone 5 at a store in San Francisco. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Enlarge image

Apple Begins IPhone Trade-In Program for Money Toward New Models

Craig Warga/Bloomberg

By buying old phones, Apple Inc. is aiming to spur new device sales by helping cover the cost of buying the latest smartphone.

By buying old phones, Apple Inc. is aiming to spur new device sales by helping cover the cost of buying the latest smartphone. Photographer: Craig Warga/Bloomberg

Kamis, 29 Agustus 2013

Sergey Brin love quadrangle blamed for Google executive's sudden departure

Sergey Brin love quadrangle blamed for Google executive's sudden departure

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The Sydney Morning Herald