Welcome to this morning's edition of “First To Know,” a series in which we keep you in the know on what’s happening in the digital world. We’re keeping our eyes on six particular stories of interest today.
Daily Deal Sites Raise Millions
The daily deals space is heating up again after Groupon's IPO: LivingSocial, Fab.com and Plum District have raised between $20 million and $176 million apiece this week.
Yahoo Wins $610 Judgment in Lottery Scam
A judge granted Yahoo $610 million in a court ruling against groups that tried to scam people into handing over their passwords and other sensitive personal data.
House Passes Bill That Will Let Netflix Use Facebook's Open Graph
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an outdated bill that prevents companies from sharing an individual’s movie-rental history, which would enable companies like Netflix to take advantage of social sharing features such as Facebook's open graph.
Alibaba Seeking $40 Million to Buy Back Stake
Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba is seeking $40 million in debt financing to buy back Yahoo's 40% stake in the company.
Instagram Coming to Android
Popular iPhone photography app Instagram is finally developing an Android app.
Judge Hits Blogger With $2.5 Million Fine for Not Being a Journalist
In a case that’s sending a frightening message to the blogging community, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that a blogger must pay $2.5 million to an investment firm she wrote about — because she isn’t a real journalist.
Further News
Bill Gates is in discussions with China to jointly develop a new and more efficient type of nuclear reactor.
Facebook has updated its Android app with a new menu, improved photo capabilities and re-positioned buttons.
Xbox live has launched an iOS app.
AT&T’s LTE expansion will officially hit New York City later this month.
The SETI institute has announced it has secured funding to restart the ATA and resume search for extraterrestrial life.
Apple TV users in Australia, Canada and the UK now have the ability to watch full TV shows, streaming to their boxes directly from iCloud.
Klout has unwrapped sashes, a visual update to its Topics feature, which rolled out in September and lets you gain insights on top influencers and +K recipients for specific content areas.
Groupon launched a pilot for a new service Wednesday that lets customers independently book appointments with small businesses online, regardless of whether or not those appointments are associated with a Groupon deal.
The New York Times has released an app for the 2012 elections.