James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
With Trending Topics redesign, Facebook redoubles efforts to provide more diverse news
Facebook Inc. is redesigning its Trending Topics section so that users will receive a more diverse range of publications, the social media giant announced on Wednesday. Facebook came under considerable criticism last year when it was accused of curating trending news with a liberal bias, further embedding users in social media echo chambers or filter ...
Uber will pay up to $45 million to reverse its underpayment of New York drivers
Uber Technologies Inc. drivers in New York City will be getting their holiday bonuses early this year in the sum of about $900 each, a consequence of the ride-hailing giant underpaying them for two and a half years. Reports revealed today that Uber had been shortchanging drivers in New York after taking more commission than it ...
Leaked ‘Facebook Files’ show how a social media giant struggles to moderate content
A report released on Sunday by The Guardian reveals a lot of detail about how Facebook Inc. tries to keep graphic content off its platform, and not surprisingly it’s a Herculean task. What the investigation unearthed in a series of reports regarding Facebook’s moderation protocols is likely to become a matter of debate and consternation. For ...
FCC moves one step closer to undoing net neutrality rules
The Obama administration’s rules intended to ensure net neutrality are on their way out after the Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to begin implementing Chairman Ajit Pai’s plans to scrap the regulations. The FCC voted 2-1 to start a formal process to proceed with Pai’s changes and dismantle regulations put in place two years ago to ensure ...
‘Google for Jobs’ will use machine learning to match jobs with candidates
Google Inc. aims to make job searching less painful with a new initiative announced at its Google I/O conference on Wednesday. Google for Jobs will employ advanced machine learning to better match people with relevant jobs relating to their search queries. Speaking onstage at the conference, Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said online job searching had ...
Report: Apple will soon announce a trio of new MacBooks to fend off competition
Apple Inc. will announce three new laptops at its June Worldwide Developers Conference, according to a report published Tuesday by Bloomberg. Sources familiar with Apple’s plans said the MacBook Pro, MacBook and MacBook Air will each receive updates which will be announced at the conference, which runs June 5-9 in San Jose, California. The Macbook ...
Pentagon turns to intelligence automation to hunt Islamic State
Overwhelmed by thousands of hours of Islamic State surveillance tapes, the Pentagon is catching up to the future by looking to machine learning and big data to help its military surveillance analysts. Codenamed Project Maven, an Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team will sift through hours of video caught by drones flying over Iraq and Syria ...
Google uses artists and neural networks to turn your selfies into emoji
Google Inc. is bringing something novel to the world of emoji: a combination of neural networks and art that enables users to morph their selfies into emojis. Unlike current customized emoji apps, such as Snapchat Inc.’s Bitmoji, the new Google technology uses both machine learning and neural networks to map the user’s face and create ...
Anti-net neutrality spambots run wild on FCC’s web site
Just days after comedian John Oliver urged people to comment on the Federal Communications Commission’s website in defense of net neutrality regulations, reports have emerged that the website has been filled with fake comments in support of less regulation. Following FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s controversial plans to undo the Obama administration’s regulations that all Internet ...
With launch of smart debit card app, kids can now have a digitized allowance
New York startup Current is giving parents the opportunity to control their children’s allowance through an app that allows kids to use a Visa debit card. The app not only allows parents to see how and where the kids are using up their allowance but also lets them set tasks through the app. When the ...