10 things in tech you need to know today
1. A bombshell report from The Wall Street Journal reveals that two former employees of the blood-testing startup Theranos are accusing the company of deleting the quality-control data of its proprietary machines. The blood-testing company known for its finger-prick testing technology came under fire in October after The Journal raised questions about the accuracy of the company's test results.
2. Comcast just had a major breakthrough that could mean superfast internet. Comcast announced this week that it has successfully tested the world's first DOCSIS 3.1 modem in Philadelphia.
3. Samsung is reportedly planning an initial production run of 5 million Galaxy S7 phones. The Korean smartphone maker will reportedly unveil a 5.2-inch flat-screen version of its flagship smartphone along with a 5.5-inch, curved-screen version that will be called the 'Galaxy S7 edge'.
4. China passed a controversial new anti-terrorism law on Sunday that requires tech companies to hand over encryption keys and other sensitive information to the government. Tech companies won't be required to install "backdoors" in their software, however.
5. How an IRS agent discovered the identity of the Silk Road kingpin, "Dread Pirate Roberts," using Google searches. By the middle of 2013, "Dread Pirate Roberts" had built Silk Road into a dark web marketplace that facilitated the sale of enormous amounts of contraband.
6. Doubts have arisen as to whether Microsoft can maintain momentum with developers who are creating apps for its Universal Windows Platform. The software giant has already announced the arrival of apps from popular companies including Netflix, Pandora, and Uber.
7. Jack Dorsey is working 18-hour days as CEO of both Twitter and Square. The Wall Street Journal reports the CEO works at Twitter in the mornings and Square in the afternoons, keeping to a strict schedule.
8. Amazon Prime added more than 3 million new members during the peak of holiday shopping. Amazon Prime costs $99 per month for non-students.
9. North Dakota has become a hotbed for drone companies. The New York Times reports that the state has spent around $34 on the unmanned aerial vehicle industry.
10. Former and current Samsung employees say the company's struggle in mobile is due to its hardware-focused culture and lack of software expertise. Samsung has faced increasingly stiff competition from rival Android phone makers.