James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Facebook Inc. has found itself the object of criticism after failing to remove images of sexualized children on its platform found by BBC investigative journalists. According to reports, Facebook had taken down only 18 photos out of 100 that the BBC’s team had …
If exploiting big data played a role in Trump’s victory, it’s hardly new
Manipulating the “the herd” by telling them what they want to hear is hardly new. In the days of Edward Bernays, the founder of public relations, understanding what the people wanted to hear or how they might behave given certain information took …
Tech industry hit by suspension of expedited H-1B visas
The Trump administration’s decision to halt fast processing of H-1B visas could disrupt the operations of many technology companies and quash the plans of thousands of immigrant workers. The Trump administration said in January that it would make changes to how the visas …
Virginia becomes the first state to allow delivery robots to use sidewalks
Virginians may have to get used to sharing their sidewalks with robots. The state passed a bill Wednesday to allow delivery drones to operate on sidewalks and crosswalks anywhere in the state. The new legislation, which will go into effect on July 1, was …
Twitter gets serious on trolls with zero-tolerance anti-abuse measures
Twitter Inc. has taken more serious measures to curb abuse adding a flurry of new crime-fighting tools to the platform, with engineering vice president Ed Ho declaring that making Twitter “a safer place is our primary focus and we are now moving with …
Bill Gates on Steve Jobs, the woes of the world and why he wears hats in public
Bill Gates once again moved from wholly serious to wonderfully whimsical in his annual Reddit Ask Me Anything discussion Monday with the public. The 61-year-old Microsoft Corp. co-founder covered a wide range of topical subjects, from education, artificial intelligence and global disease …
New Uber exec forced out over undisclosed sexual harassment allegations at Google
Ride-hailing giant Uber Technologies Inc. can’t seem to stop driving deeper into the mud. Just a month after getting hired as senior vice president of engineering at Uber, former longtime Google Inc. search executive Amit Singhal (pictured) has been let go from the …
Rogue intelligent agents? Bots have spent years battling on Wikipedia edits
It’s not just humans who wrangle over revising entries on Wikipedia. A new study reveals that automated bots have been engaging in ongoing editing wars on the crowdsourced online encyclopedia for at least a decade. The new study, undertaken by scientists from …
Amazon claims First Amendment protection for Alexa digital assistant – even in a murder case
Amazon.com Inc. is asserting its right not to hand over a user’s data in an Arkansas murder trial, stating that the First Amendment protects an individual’s right to privacy. Amazon was first approached by police in December, when it was revealed they …
Google’s Waze makes hay with carpool service as the rain pours on Uber
As Uber Technologies Inc. is beset by a worsening sexual harassment scandal, Google Inc.’s new carpool service, Waze, is making hay. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, Google is set to launch Waze in several U.S. cities and cities in …