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News

• Despite Google Photos' arrival, Google+ still lives

  SAN FRANCISCO -- The fact that Google launched a new photo sharing and storage service this week isn't ringing the death knell of Google+.

• Daum Kakao hopes social network Path will lead to international expansion

  Social network Path will soon be under new ownership.

• Oculus acquires image recognition startup Surreal Vision

  Virtual reality headset maker Oculus VR has acquired Surreal Vision, a company developing image recognition technology that can recreate scenes from real life inside simulated 3D environments.

• Private, insulting tweet gets Italian senator sued

  A right-wing senator stands to make legal history in Italy when he becomes the first person to be prosecuted for insulting another person on Twitter.

• Businesses back off social media

  The number of large organisations in Australia with a social media presence has dropped by 21 per cent year-on-year with most unlikely to have a strategy around social platforms or measure their return on investment.
  

• Tweets now appear in Google search results

  Performing a search on Google now also displays relevant tweets from Twitter. The integration will widely distribute Twitter content beyond its own site and is also aimed at adding a new real-time element to Google search results.

• Obama's new Twitter account stays with the office

  When the next U.S. president takes office, he or she will have a new perk -- an official Twitter account ready to go with millions of followers.

• Facebook could cash in from Messenger games

  Facebook is said to be eyeing games for its mobile Messenger product, a move that might jump-start the revenue the company generates from non-advertising sources.

• Reddit's new anti-harassment rules anger some users

  Upon learning of Reddit's plan to change its rules to prohibit harassment and make the site friendlier, some users reacted with resentment and confusion.

• Facebook tackles 'myths' about Internet.org, says it's no walled garden

  Facebook's Internet.org project provides access to online services in developing countries, but it's also sparked questions about its compatibility with net neutrality, Facebook's underlying business motives and how the company collects user data. On Wednesday, Facebook sought to set the record straight.

• Facebook wants to become your news destination of choice with Instant Articles

  Facebook aims to speed up the delivery of news on the company’s mobile apps with Instant Articles. The New York Times, National Geographic and others will use it to publish interactive articles directly on Facebook’s iPhone app.

• Some Flickr users facing browser support woes

  Some Flickr users are reporting problems with the photo sharing site that may be related to what browser they're using -- even if the browser's up to date.

• Facebook study disputes the 'echo chamber' effect

  On Facebook, you might see a fair number of news articles shared by friends supporting Republican presidential candidates as the race heats up. Even if you're a Democrat.

• Lawmakers want to protect the online freedom to Yelp

  If the waiter was rude, your hotel room dirty or the plumber sloppy, you should be able to say so online without fear of getting slapped with a lawsuit.

• New app can unearth video gems on Periscope

  In perhaps the first sign that live streaming might spawn its own assortment of sub-players, a visual data analysis startup is putting its chops to work to categorize and rank videos on Periscope, the app owned by Twitter.