James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum leaves, allegedly over data privacy clash with owner Facebook
Jan Koum, the co-founder and chief executive of Facebook Inc.-owned messaging giant WhatsApp, will leave the company amid reported disagreements over data privacy, advertising and encryption. Koum will also vacate his spot on Facebook’s board of directors, a position he filled when the social media giant bought WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014. The exact ...
UK committee disappointed with Facebook CTO, wants to question Zuckerberg
Facebook Inc. Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer Thursday was grilled in front of a U.K. parliamentary committee over the recent data harvesting scandal and the impact of the social network on society, but he left the politicians wanting much more: namely, his boss. Schroepfer (pictured) faced what most media believed was a more testing line ...
The Department of Justice is now going after Huawei
The U.S. Justice Department is now investigating Chinese smartphone maker Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. for potential violations of sanctions on Iran. “It’s unclear how far the Justice Department probe has advanced and what specific allegation federal agents are probing,” said a report published Wednesday in the Wall Street Journal. The paper said it had spoken ...
Facebook starts to take user privacy very seriously as GDPR looms
Following weeks of controversy regarding what data Facebook collects and how it’s used, the company is jacking up efforts to make users feel more comfortable. The moves come weeks before the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation goes into effect. GDPR sets guidelines for the how people’s personal data is collected and used, with big penalties for companies ...
Facebook’s data privacy control changes ahead of GDPR don’t thrill everyone
Facebook Inc. has announced new privacy protections on the platform to comply with the European General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR that will go into effect next month. However, it’s aiming to exempt 1.5 billion users in Africa, Asia, Australia and Latin America, or about 70 percent of its user base worldwide, from its new terms of service created to ...
New Cambridge Analytica revelations: ICO plans and more data harvesting quizzes
The research company behind Facebook Inc.’s massive data harvesting scandal, Cambridge Analytica, was trying to create its own cryptocurrency and raise money through an initial coin offering. Reuters reported that the firm was trying to raise as much as $30 million. The plan was to develop a platform for users to use blockchain to store and possibly ...
US and UK suppliers banned from exporting to Chinese electronics giant ZTE
The U.S. Commerce Department Monday barred American companies from exporting to Chinese telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp. for seven years, while in the U.K. the National Cyber Security Centre has warned that using ZTE network equipment could pose a risk to national security. The U.S. ban comes after ZTE failed to adhere to an agreement ...
Following Facebook data mess, two senators want to introduce legislation to protect user privacy
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Republican John Kennedy Thursday proposed a bill to protect internet users from their data getting breached, following the Facebook Inc. data harvesting scandal that affected some 87 million of its users. The legislation, proposed after Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg was grilled for two straight days before several congressional committees, is ...
These are the key takeaways from Mark Zuckerberg’s second day with Congress
Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg sat for another five-hour session at Congress Wednesday, this time in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. And this time, his interlocutors sounded more savvy regarding Facebook and the data collection practices that have both lawmakers and some users up in arms. Zuckerberg’s trial on Tuesday was ...
Here’s what Mark Zuckerberg told Congress – but he’s not done yet
Facebook Inc. founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg sat for hours in front of Congress to address questions about such issues as the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections and Facebook’s monopoly as a social media platform. By most accounts, Zuckerberg (pictured, right) not only survived the experience testifying before ...