Topping tech headlines on Thursday was aviation security consultant and trained commercial pilot Hugo Teso, who developed an Android app that can remotely take full control of an aircraft.

Teso demonstrated the application this week at the Hack in the Box security conference in Amsterdam, showcasing how to virtually hijack flight desk computers and feed false navigation information to change the course of a simulated jet, using hardware he bought on eBay. Teso hasn’t gone undetected, though. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are both aware of his presentation, but agreed that because Teso used a PC training simulator, he didn’t reveal any real potential vulnerabilities on actual aircraft.

Meanwhile, Google is tackling the “digital afterlife” with a new service that allows users to designate how they want their accounts handled after they die. Inactive Account Manager provides a number of options, including a timeout period, where Google will delete your data or categorize an account as inactive after three, six, nine, or 12 months of dormancy. Users can also designate up to 10 contacts, who will gain access to your data after you die. The search giant will also alert users via text or email one month before data is deleted or handed over to a third party.

In other news, Electronic Arts confirmed on Thursday that it has laid off an undisclosed number of employees from its Montreal-based mobile studio. Reports tipped 60 to 70 permanent employees, plus more than 100 contract workers, but EA declined to share an exact number. The cuts come in the wake of the company’s SimCity debacle and the resignation of EA CEO John Riccitiello.

Also making headlines Thursday:

• Google Taps Powerful VCs for Google Glass Collective: The Glass team also expects the Explorer Edition of the gadget to start shipping to developers this month.
• Obama Administration Still Wary of CISPA Cyber Bill: The Obama administration still has some concerns with a controversial cyber-security bill that was approved last night by the House Intelligence Committee.
• Are the Winklevoss Twins Trying to Corner the Bitcoin Market?: Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, last seen losing court battles with Facebook, own nearly 1 percent of all bitcoins in circulation.
• Hands On: Tobii PCEye Go: A smaller, slimmer version of Tobii’s eye-tracking technology merges gaze-based interaction with your existing PC.
• Zuckerberg, Tech Giants Tackle Immigration Reform With FWD.us PAC: Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg this week unveiled FWD.us, a new political action group that will focus on immigration reform – specifically how to expand the pool of available visas for highly skilled workers.
• Report: Microsoft Building 7-Inch Tablet: Microsoft if reportedly working on a new lineup of Surface tablets, including a 7-inch model, according to the Wall Street Journal.
• Samsung Unveils Massive, 6.3-Inch Galaxy Mega Phablet: Samsung is pushing the limits of “too big” with the introduction of the aptly named Galaxy Mega, a new phablet with a massive, 6.3-inch display.
• Surprise: People Are Rude on Social Media: One in five people have reduced in-person contact with someone after a cyber fight, according to a new survey.
• Bing Delivers Five Times as Many Malicious Websites as Google: Searches on Bing returned five times more links to malicious websites than Google searches, according to a study from German independent testing lab AV-Test.
• Report: Microsoft Exec Leaves After Xbox Twitter Rant: Microsoft creative director Adam Orthy, who angered the Twitterverse last week with a rant about always-on technology, is no longer working for Redmond.
• Infographic: The Evolution of Google’s Gmail: Google celebrates Gmail’s ninth birthday with an infographic chronicling the evolution of its email service.
• Forget Psychics, Iranian ‘Time Machine’ Can Predict Future: A 27-year-old Iranian scientist has built a “time traveling machine” that he claims can predict the future by analyzing only the user’s touch.
• LinkedIn Acquires Pulse News Reader: LinkedIn on Thursday confirmed that it acquired news reader Pulse in a $90 million deal.
• Report: Justin Bieber’s Twitter Followers Mostly Fake: Bogus account tracker SocialBakers puts the pop star’s “real” followers at just 17.8 million out of 37.3 million listed on his Twitter profile.