* Twitter now has the ability to censor tweets or accounts in certain countries if legally required, a move some writers see as a “huge setback and disappointment.” “As we continue to grow internationally, we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression,” the company wrote on its blog.” Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there. Others are similar but, for historical or cultural reasons, restrict certain types of content, such as France or Germany, which ban pro-Nazi content. … Starting today, we give ourselves the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country — while keeping it up in the rest of the world. We have also built in a way to communicate transparently to users when content is withheld, and why.” (Marketing Land and Boing Boing)

* In response to The New York Times’ second installment in its investigative series about Apple (AAPL), TechCrunch argues that the Cupertino-based giant may not be the only tech company to blame for harsh worker conditions. (TechCrunch)

* How one Amazon (AMZN) merchant is effectively bribing buyers of its products for five star reviews. (The New York Times)

* Google’s Mountain View headquarters expanded by 67% last year, adding 2.9 million square feet of space. (Silicon Valley Mercury News)

* Samsung reported $4.7 billion in operating profit on sales of $42 billion for the latest quarter, with mobile accounting for 40% of company sales. (Engadget)

* HTC is changing up its strategy after it saw its fourth quarter revenues dip 2.5% to nearly $3.4 billion. This year for the company will be all about focusing on quality over quantity. (All Things D)

* As for Motorola Mobility, the device manufacturer pulled in $3.4 billion in sales but posted $80 million in losses. (Boy Genius Report via PandoDaily)

* Almost 50% of businesses now support Macs and 27% support the iPad. (VentureBeat)

* North Korea warned citizens that anyone using cell phones during the 100-day mourning period for Kim Jong-il will be branded and punished as “war criminals.” (The Telegraph)

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