Paypal’s retail chief steps down

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Paypal executive Don Kingsborough, who helped orchestrate the payments company's move into physical retail stores, stepped down in January, the company said on Wednesday. His departure, which tech blog Re/code first reported, comes as the company competes with the likes of fast-growing startup Square, to get its payments system adopted in more retail chains nationwide. In a statement, spokeswoman Amanda Miller said PayPal, which is slated to split from eBay Inc later this year, will keep testing and investing in various in-store payments systems

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Factbox: What is net neutrality? U.S. debates once again

(Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Communications Commission prepared to vote on new “net neutrality” rules in February, after record number of public comments have flooded the agency on the proposed regulations. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in an op-ed on Wednesday he will seek his fellow commissioners’ support for new net neutrality rules that would regulate Internet service providers (ISPs) more like public utilities.

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Twitter shares poised for big move after results

By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed NEW YORK (Reuters) – Twitter Inc shares are poised for a big move after it reports quarterly results on Thursday, according to options-market data, with user growth at the social media service possibly holding the key to whether shares rise or fall, analysts said. On Wednesday, the cost of a Twitter straddle, in which an investor buys an at-the-money put option and a similar call option, suggests a move of about 12 percent in either direction by Friday.

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Willis Re launches cyber insurer tool as risks remain unclear

Reinsurer Willis Re on Tuesday launched a tool designed to help insurance companies gauge their portfolios' exposure to cybersecurity risks, the latest effort to develop a growing market that has nonetheless faced worries about potential pitfalls. The tool, called PRISM-Re, is meant to help insurance companies understand how much risk they face should they have to pay out for everything from managing a cyberattack crisis to hiring credit monitoring services should private data be breached. “There's still a little bit of hesitation (among insurers) about, 'how do I understand what my overall exposure might be',” said Alice Underwood, head of analytics for Willis Re North America

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China’s internet population hits 649 million, 86 pct on phones

By Paul Carsten BEIJING (Reuters) – China had 649 million internet users by the end of 2014, with 557 million of those using handsets to go online, said a government report on Tuesday, as the world's biggest smartphone market continues its shift to mobile.

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Facebook, Twitter lock horns in post-Super Bowl battle of the statistics

By Alexei Oreskovic and Jennifer Saba SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc released a barrage of data, special “heat” maps and slick animations on Monday to claim the title of most-popular social network for spectators watching the Super Bowl, but a winner was difficult to pick. Facebook, the world's largest social network, boasted that 65 million people chimed in on its service about the match that saw the New England Patriots edge the Seattle Seahawks 28-24, up 30 percent from the year earlier.

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Nationwide considers halting controversial child safety ad

(Reuters) – Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company is considering whether or not to drop a TV advertisement featuring a dead boy speaking to viewers after a backlash on social media as soon as the commercial about child safety aired during Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast. Nationwide spokesman Joe Case said on Monday that some of the reaction “was stronger than we anticipated” and “we’ll gauge whether or not to run the ad more.” The ad, Case said, was intended to start a conversation around child safety and accidents in the home, part of the insurer’s Make Safe Happen campaign.

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