News Byte

Facebook, Instagram Asks Some Users to Upload Photo IDs

Instagram is asking some users to upload photos of their government-issued identification cards — and in some cases, birth certificates — according to a report from Talking Points Memo. Facebook said the requests come in cases of certain terms of service violations, according to TPM, though refused to elucidate further.

FaceTagram? InstaBook? Whatever You Call It, All Your Mobile Photo Are Belong to Facebook (for $1 Billion)!

Actually, it’s pretty simple: Photos. Photos. And, oh yes, mobile photos — lots and lots and lots of them.

Will the Real Facebook Shareholders Please Stand Up?

In the midst of this investor frenzy around Facebook, it is critical to keep in mind that the most important “owners” of Facebook are its 600 million active users.

Amazon Recruits Developers for Super-Slick Android Appstore

Amazon today released preliminary plans for its Android Appstore, which will likely do a better job of merchandising and selling apps than Google has. Think of it as the equivalent of iTunes for Android.

Eye-Fi Aims to Teach Memory Cards Another New Trick

Eye-Fi is trying to get the cellphone and digital camera to end their rivalry and instead work together to share photos. A new “direct mode,” due later this year, will allow cameras with one of the company’s memory cards to share photos with smartphones.

Night-Table Reading: The FCC's Net Neutrality Rules In Full

It’s now been two days since the Federal Communications Commission voted to pass its controversial network neutrality rules, and the consensus is clear–no one is terribly happy. Now we have a full text of the actual rules–the 194-page document that lawyers, lawmakers and lobbyists will be combing through in the coming weeks and months.

Voices

WakeMate Finally Ships–Will You Sleep Better Now That It's Watching You?

After a year of delays, promises and refunded deposits, the WakeMate sleep monitoring gadget is finally shipping. But do you want it watching you sleep?

Top Docs on Scribd in 2010: Prop 8, P ? NP, GOP Pledge

A gay-marriage court ruling, a buzz-worthy computer science proof, a political platform and some macaroni-and-cheese recipes were the most shared documents on Scribd in 2010.

Don't Count on Music Subscriptions or Streaming From Apple Tomorrow

What’s Apple planning at its iTunes announcement tomorrow? Good question! But I’ll be very surprised if it is music related–like a new music subscription service, or even one that lets you stream music you already own to multiple devices.

LimeWire Gives Up the Ghost, Shuts Down P2P File-Sharing Client

Last spring, music file-sharing service LimeWire suffered a crushing blow in federal court. This is the net result: The company will stop distributing its core software, and will disable “hundreds of millions” of existing downloads. It’s the victory the big music labels have been seeking for some time.

GDrive Actually Google Docs