10 things in tech you need to know today
1. Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent a memo to all employees explaining why the company is resisting an FBI request to decrypt an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. In it, Cook says the FBI should withdraw its demand to have Apple develop a tool to help it break into the iPhone.
2. Bill Gates has published his annual letter, and for the first time, he directs it specifically at high school students. This year's note takes on the topic of energy. He directs it at young people because he believes they will be the ones responsible for coming up with the "crazy-seeming ideas" necessary to combat climate change.
3. Uber is standing by its safety background checks in the wake of the shootings in Michigan. Many have called for Uber to introduce a panic button, similar to the one it offers in India.
4. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the lesson he learned from India's recent ruling banning his project to bring free internet to its citizens is that "every country is different." The Indian government ruled that Facebook's "Free Basics" plan was illegal, and blocked the company from launching free internet for citizens.
5. Over half of Americans think Apple should unlock the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone. That's according to figures from a Pew Research study published Monday.
6. Fitbit shares dropped by as much as 15% in after-hours trading on Monday after the company reported quarterly results. Fitbit said it sold 8.2 million devices in the fourth quarter, adding that 79% of its revenues were derived from new products, including the Fitbit Charge and Surge.
7. Google DeepMind's AlphaGo system is going to take on the world's best Go player in a luxury 5-star hotel in South Korea. AlphaGo will play Go champion Lee Sedol five times over five days at the Four Seasons hotel in Seoul in March.
8. In an interview with Fortune published on Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook did not deny that his company was working on a car project. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has called the project an "open secret," based mostly on the number of employees going from one company to the other.
9. Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) is "significantly" expanding its UK operation as it looks to capitalise on the growth of the UK tech sector. It plans to hire up to 50 more staff at a new London office during 2016.
10. Israeli cloud startup Ravello Systems confirmed on Monday that it has been acquired by Oracle. The deal is worth $500 million (£354 million), according to Venture Beat.