James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
As legal action against Facebook Inc. looks imminent, the company reportedly has told staff to preserve all internal documents and communications going back to 2016. To say the company has come under some scrutiny of late would be a massive understatement. First, …
White House names Jessica Rosenworcel to become first female chair at FCC
President Biden today named Jessica Rosenworcel (pictured) as the permanent chair of the Federal Communications Commission, making her the first woman ever to hold the position. In what’s seen as another progressive move, it was announced that Gigi Sohn has been nominated …
‘Facebook Papers’ add up to the social media giant’s biggest challenge yet
A number of U.S. news organizations over the weekend began publishing stories related to thousands of internal Facebook Inc. documents, and they just keep on coming. What the documents reveal is not exactly news that comes out of the blue. They are …
Twitter research reveals its algorithm prefers right-leaning content, but it doesn’t know why
Following research undertaken by the company, Twitter announced today that its algorithm actually amplifies right-leaning political content over left-wing content. The news might come as a shock to some, especially former president Donald Trump, who has been exiled by much of social …
US cracks down on exporting hacking tools to China, Russia, other ‘countries of concern’
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced today that it will begin tightening controls on the sale of hacking tools and surveillance software to countries that might pose a national security threat. The Bureau of Industry and Security issued an interim rule which …
Facebook settles $14 million over claim it discriminated against US workers
The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that Facebook Inc. has settled two civil cases which accused the company of refusing to hire U.S. workers by saving positions for people on temporary visas. Last year, the DOJ sued Facebook for discriminating against …
Lawmakers allege Amazon’s Jeff Bezos might have misled Congress
A U.S. House Judiciary Committee wrote a letter to Amazon executives Sunday, saying the company has until November to prove it didn’t lie in front of Congress in 2020. In July that year, Amazon’s now-Executive Chairman and then Chief Executive Jeff Bezos …
Microsoft retires Chinese version of LinkedIn after censorship criticism
Microsoft Corp. announced today that it’s shutting down the Chinese version of LinkedIn, with the company stating there have been issues with “compliance” in the country. In a blog post, the company said it will introduce a different app in China called …
Facebook updates its harassment policies to protect public figures better
As part of an effort to appease its growing number of critics, Facebook Inc. announced today that it will expand its policies to provide better protection of public figures. The company said it will begin talking down “severe sexualizing content” relating to …
Facebook’s blacklist of 4,000 dangerous individuals and groups is leaked
Facebook Inc. keeps a blacklist of 4,000 people and groups it deems a threat to national security, according to a report published by The Intercept today. What it contains has so far remained mostly a secret. The list of “Dangerous Individuals and …