Every day, the Fortune staff spends hours poring over tech stories, posts, and reviews from all over the Web to keep tabs on the companies that matter. We’ve assembled the day’s most newsworthy bits below.

• It’s official: AOL (AOL) is acquiring TechCrunch, video distribution start-up 5Min media, and Brizzly web-app maker, Thing Labs. (Terms were not disclosed.) (All Things Digital)
• In a lengthy, blow-by-blow blog post, TechCrunch founder Mike Arrington says he sold his empire so he’d never have to worry about pesky back-end tech issues ever again. (We’re guessing the reported $25 million in cash AOL paid doesn’t hurt either.) (TechCrunch)
• An impending bill from Congress will reportedly create a new net neutrality law but also stop the FCC from creating its own set of rules. Not exactly surprising: mobile broadband providers will not be held to the same net neutrality standard as wired carriers. (The New York Times)
• A new law in California bans individuals from maliciously impersonating others online. Senator Joe Simitian, the bill’s author, said it helps bring the state’s impersonation laws into the 21st century by addressing “the dark side of the social networking revolution.” (The New York Times)
• If Facebook board member, PayPal co-founder and venture capitalist Peter Thiel is to be believed, Facebook could go public in late 2012. (Read Write Web)
• Amazon (AMZN) launched its beta version of “Kindle for the Web,” which lets potential buyers read book samples in their web browsers for free without an app. (PCWorld)
• HP’s (HPQ) Todd Bradley casually mentioned during an analyst call that a web OS-powered “PalmPad” would launch early next year. (Engadget)
• In what might be the most ambitious, most technologically complex attempt ever, India plans to assign each of its 1.2 billion people a unique 12-digit ID number. (The Wall Street Journal)
• That didn’t take long: Twitter has decided to discontinue its Early Bird marketing vehicle. The company allegedly had “tremendous early success with it, but it needs to be reworked or rethought,” said COO Dick Costolo. (Read Write Web)
• New start-up Credit Sesame, a Mint.com-like service that offers an approachable interface to juggling debt and saving, promises to save its users $47,000 (each) during their lifetimes. (VentureBeat)