James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Apple Inc. shares slid today after it was reported China’s watchdog will mount an antitrust investigation into the company’s App Store commissions. The probe, similar to those already carried out in the U.K. and the EU, will examine Apple’s practice of taking 30% of …
Google quietly changes stance on using AI for weapons or surveillance
Google LLC has made a major change to its AI Principles, taking out the part where it used to say it wouldn’t use the technology for surveillance or weapons applications. The old policy, which the company first released in 2018, stated that …
Ontario cancels and un-cancels Starlink contract after tariffs concession
Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford today announced he was pausing retaliatory measures in response to U.S. tariffs after President Donald Trump agreed to delay the tariffs. Ford (pictured) had earlier said he would cancel a C$100m (US$68.5m) contract with Elon Musk’s Starlink, stating …
Meta back in the ‘tent’ after agreeing to settle Trump’s $25M censorship lawsuit
Meta Platforms Inc. today agreed to a $25 million settlement over the lawsuit President Donald Trump brought against the company in 2021 for suspending his accounts following the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Meta, which under its Chief Executive Mark …
Trump pardons Ross Ulbricht, founder of Silk Road drug marketplace
President Donald Trump today signed a full and unconditional pardon for Ross Ulbricht, the man who operated the notorious dark web drug marketplace, Silk Road. Ulbricht ran the Silk Road from 2011 until 2013 under the pseudonym “Dread Pirate Roberts.” That year …
Trump signs executive order to prevent censorship of online platforms
President Donald Trump today signed an executive order that he claims will restore freedom of speech and end federal censorship, with the express purpose of keeping government out of social media. “Over the last 4 years, the previous administration trampled free speech …
Nick Clegg steps down as Meta’s global policy chief, replaced with Trump-friendly Joel Kaplan
Former Republican White House staffer Joel Kaplan just became Meta Platforms Inc.’s global policy head as Britain’s former deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, leaves the company after six years. Clegg (pictured, center), who led the Liberal Democrat Party from 2007 to 2015, …
Judge upholds most of California’s ban on ‘addictive feeds’ for children
Tech industry trade group NetChoice has failed to block California’s attorney general from enforcing most of a law that will regulate how social media firms deliver content to young people. The Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act (SB 976) was …
UK coalition of creatives rejects government plan on AI copyright exemption
A coalition of publishers, news media, musicians, photographers and film producers has rejected a proposal issued earlier this week by the U.K. government to allow artificial intelligence companies to train their large language models on their content if they don’t opt out. …
EU opens probe into TikTok over possible Russian interference in Romanian election
Regulators in the European Union today announced they’ve opened an investigation into TikTok for possible breaches of the Digital Services Act, DSA, by failing to prevent foreign interference in the recent Romanian presidential election. The second round of the vote didn’t go …