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 three particular stories of interest today.
Google to Launch Groupon Competitor
Google is preparing to launch Google Offers, a competitor to group-buying services like Groupon and LivingSocial, according to a confidential fact sheet obtained from the tech giant.
Larry Page To Replace Eric Schmidt as CEO of Google
Google announced its fourth quarter earnings Thursday, and with it the news that co-founder Larry Page will replace Eric Schmidt as CEO of the company, effective April 4. In addition, Schmidt intends to sell more than half a million of the company’s shares in a transaction that would be worth approximately $335 million today.
New Twitter Worm Exploits Google’s URL Shortener
A new worm is posting links using Google's URL shortener goog.gl to send Twitter users to a fake antivirus site, online security firms Sophos and Kaspersky report.
Further News
HP announced major changes to its board of directors Thursday, including the appointment of Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay.
Verizon has filed an appeal challenging the net neutrality rules that the FCC adopted last month, which aim to prevent Internet providers from blocking or slowing legal content.
Full access to the New York Times website will cost less than $20 per month, an anonymous source has told Bloomberg.
Verizon has released its first commercial spot for the long-awaited Verizon iPhone on YouTube.