James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Meta is offering ad-free versions of Facebook and Instagram to keep EU regulators at bay
Meta Platforms Inc. today announced an advertisement-free, paid subscription service available for users of Facebook and Instagram in the European Union. Starting in November, users in the 27 countries of the EU, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, will know what it feels like to scroll through the platforms while not being ...
Waymo’s driverless vehicles can now be ordered via an Uber
Uber Technologies Inc. will now offer rides in one of Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo LLC fully autonomous cars, the companies announced today. As part of a joint operation that was announced in May this year, the service will be available in Phoenix, Arizona. Users will have a choice to accept or reject a driverless car – ...
US attorneys join forces alleging Meta causes serious harm to the minds of American youth
A bipartisan group of 42 U.S. attorneys general today announced they are suing Meta Platforms Inc. for harms they say Instagram and Facebook are perpetrating on young people. This is not the first time Meta has been accused of knowingly developing products that are detrimental to the well-being of youngsters. The company in the past ...
Japan’s antitrust watchdog begins probe into Google’s search engine dominance
Japan’s antitrust watchdog today announced that it has launched an antitrust probe into Google LLC, increasing pressure on a company no stranger to such probes. Japan’s Fair Trade Commission, or JFTC, is looking into whether Google has violated its Antimonopoly Act. It’s believed the company may have made a deal to share ad revenue with Android ...
Controversial US facial recognition company evades punishment in UK
One of the most controversial tech companies in the U.S., the facial recognition outfit Clearview A.I. Inc., has just beaten a case in the U.K. and avoided a £7.5 million ($9.1 million) fine. Clearview A.I. has been in business since 2017, founded by Australian entrepreneur Hoan Ton-That and U.S. politician Richard Schwartz. The company managed ...
X starts testing Not A Bot, a subscription model that will charge users $1 a year
New users to X Corp. in New Zealand and the Philippines will to have to pony up $1 a year for the privilege of using the platform previously known as Twitter. In what is being called the “Not A Bot” program, new users will have to pay one buck if they are to be granted ...
Biden campaign signs up for Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform
In what might seem like a surprising move, President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign today launched an account on Truth Social. The social media platform was created by the Trump Media & Technology Group in April 2022 after former president Donald Trump found himself excommunicated from mainstream social media in 2021 following his comments on the ...
EU opens probe into X over alleged Israel-Hamas war disinformation
The European Union today began an investigation into X Corp., the company formerly known as Twitter Inc., over possible disinformation on the platform regarding Hamas’ attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli air assault on Gaza. Earlier this week, the EU’s European commissioner for the internal market, Thierry Breton, sent a letter to X’s owner, ...
EU now tells Meta to keep platform free of misinformation during Israel-Gaza conflict
A day after the European Union warned X Corp. about the spread of disinformation regarding the Hamas attack on Israel, a similarly worded letter was sent to Meta Platforms Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg. In this missive, also penned by the European Commissioner Thierry Breton, Meta was told to heed the EU’s Digital Services Act – ...
EU sends stern words to Elon Musk over Hamas attack disinformation appearing on X
The European Union Tuesday issued a warning to X Corp. boss Elon Musk over possible disinformation appearing on the platform regarding the recent Hamas attack on Israel. Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for the internal market, said in a letter addressed to Musk that his office has “indications” that various people or groups are promulgating ...