HUFFPOST TECH

Federal authorities announced Wednesday they had disrupted a massive cybercrime ring, charging three alleged hackers with using “one of the most financially destructive computer viruses in history” to steal millions of dollars from banks around the world.

The cable industry wants Internet users to go on a diet.

Cable companies have been testing a new business model that charges customers based on how much data they use, and penalizes them for exceeding those limits. Time Warner, the nation’s second-largest cable provider, now offers such tiered plans to customers nationwide.

For people tired of paying $40 or more a month for Internet, a new startup offers enticing tradeoff: free service with limits on how much YouTube or Netflix videos they can watch.

FreedomPop, which launched its home Internet service this week, is delivering broadband for free — or as little as $10 per month, depending on how much data subscribers want to use. The wireless service comes limits on online video consumption and is slower than most connections from cable companies.

But FreedomPop is betting that consumers are willing to sacrifice speed and unlimited Internet consumption for substantially lower monthly broadband bills.

“My goal is to disrupt the market and introduce competition that brings down prices to consumers,” said FreedomPop chief executive Stephen Stokols. “We’re looking to shake up home broadband in a big way.”

On a recent evening, a small group of tech entrepreneurs sat around a table in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, swapping ideas on how to grow their startups. 

Three men in their late 20s and early 30s announced they had signed up thousands of pastors to their startup, FaithStreet, which matches Christians and churches. An Episcopal priest wearing a white collar suggested ways they could refine their business model. And a young woman said she was frustrated with the designer for her mobile app, which helps people search for relevant Scripture verses. 

After an hour, they bowed their heads, and a local church pastor led them in prayer, asking God for “fresh ideas of what you want to see happen with faith and technology.”

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