Microsoft said Monday it had secured broad support from a coalition of influential technology and media firms as it seeks to challenge a U.S. ruling ordering it to hand over emails stored on a server in Ireland.

The U.S. technology giant, which says it has the backing of global heavyweights including Apple and Amazon, has for several months defied a court-ordered search warrant aimed at giving U.S. agents investigating drug-trafficking access to a customer's emails.

Sony Pictures vowed Monday that it will not be destroyed by a massive cyber attack, a day after hackers promised a big "Christmas gift" for the Hollywood studio.

Staff were called together in Los Angeles to hear how the company is responding to the November 24 hacking attack, which has produced a string of damaging and highly embarrassing leaks.

As soon as Mark Kim found out his personal information was compromised in a data breach at Target last year, the 36-year-old tech worker signed up for the retailer's free credit monitoring offer so he would be notified if someone used his identity to commit fraud.

Someone did. The first monitoring report showed crooks opened accounts in his name at Macy's and Kohl's department stores, where they racked up more than $7,000 in charges. "My heart basically sank," he said. Over the next seven months the New York City resident spent hours on the phone, most of a day in a police station filing a report, and countless time sending documents to banks and credit reporting agencies to clear his credit history.

Sony Pictures Entertainment pressed media outlets Sunday against using data hackers may have leaked about the studio.

In the letter sent to groups including The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter, lawyer David Boies said the "stolen information" must be destroyed and should not make it to publication.

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg wants people to be able to quickly express broader ranges of feelings at the leading online social network, but a "dislike" button doesn't make the cut.

During a question-and-answer session with an audience at the Facebook headquarters in Northern California, available online Friday, Zuckerberg gave a thumbs-down to the idea of a button to register disdain for posts at the social network.

Facebook-owned Oculus VR moved closer to launching its virtual reality gear on Friday with fresh acquisitions of startups and talent.

Oculus announced it bought two-year-old Nimble VR and a second startup called 13th Lab, but did not disclose financial details.

Microsoft began Thursday letting U.S. shoppers at its online Windows Store pay with digital currency Bitcoin.

Bitcoin, traded in at market value through a partnership with payment processor BitPay, could be used to add money to Microsoft accounts that provide funds for buying games, music, video or applications for Xbox consoles or computers powered by the U.S. technology titan's Windows operating systems.

Japanese gaming giant Sony is to offer its PlayStation consoles in China from January, the company said, following rival Microsoft into the potentially lucrative market after China ended a 14-year ban.

The company will launch the PlayStation 4, the latest in its series, in China on January 11, priced at 2,899 yuan ($475), Sony said in a release, adding pre-sales started Friday.

Sensors that track steps, pulse, diet and more marked a wearable computing fashion trend this year as they evolve from measuring what we've done to telling us what to do.

Smart bracelets, watches, and pendants increasingly adorned the techno-chic, and for some even their dogs sported medallions tracking whether they nap too much and run too little.

Google said Wednesday it will shut down Google News in Spain because of a new law that will force it to pay news outlets whose content it publishes, partially or in whole.

Google News will close in Spain on December 16 because of the law, which takes effect in January.