James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Twitter now testing long-form content with a new feature: Twitter Notes
Twitter Inc. today announced that it’s finally starting to test a new feature, Twitter Notes, that will allow publishers on the platform to write long-form content. The company has been talking about such a feature for a while, something that is for all intents and purposes a way to blog on Twitter. Publishers will have ...
Meta settles lawsuit over discrimination in targeted housing advertisements
Meta Platforms Inc. settled a lawsuit with the Department of Justice today over allegations that its algorithm for targeting people with housing ads discriminated against certain people. The company paid $115,054 after allegations emerged that under Facebook’s “Special Ad Audience” advertising certain users based on their race, color, nationality, zip code, disability, familial status and ...
Elon Musk doubles down on ‘freedom of speech’ in first meeting with Twitter employees
Elon Musk had his first online chat with Twitter Inc. employees today, and not surprisingly one thing he wanted to talk about was free speech. Since his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, a deal still not completely ironed out, he has caused a bit of controversy – as usual – with some of his remarks. ...
Meta is planning some big changes so it might better compete with TikTok
For some time now, Meta Platforms Inc. has been caught in a battle with the immensely popular TikTok app, and today Meta essentially provided confirmation. A leaked memo from April, sent by executives at Meta and viewed by The Verge, told staff that the Facebook app was going to see a major redesign to make ...
Massachusetts high court nixes measure to classify gig workers as independent contractors
The highest court in Massachusetts ruled Tuesday that a ballot measure that would ask voters if ride-hailing drivers should considered independent contractors or full-time employees was unconstitutional. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court said that the ballot measure should never have been certified by the state attorney general because it violated state law. The ruling will ...
Microsoft signs agreement with CWA that could make it easier for employees to unionize
As the word “union” rings around the offices of American tech companies, Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has signed a labor neutrality agreement that will help union engagement for employees at the almost-acquired Activision Blizzard. As the deal closes for the gaming giant, Microsoft has said it’s taking a supportive stance where unions are ...
TikTok staff in London are leaving in droves over the ‘toxic’ Chinese work culture
There has been an exodus of TikTok staff at its office in London since it opened late in 2021, with reports saying overwork and comments made by a senior executive sparked the discontent. According to a report in the Financial Times today, Joshua Ma, who’s a senior executive at TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance Ltd. and ...
A new cryptocurrency bill would treat digital assets as commodities under CFTC oversight
Two senators today introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at reining in the “Wild West” of cryptocurrency trading, putting the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as the key regulator. The bill’s sponsors are Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis, who sit on the Senate Agriculture Committee and Banking Committee, respectively. The “Responsible Financial Innovation Act,” ...
Axon to halt taser drone project after ethics board resigns in protest
The Arizona-based weapons company Axon Enterprise Inc. said on Sunday that it’s no longer going ahead with the development of a taser-equipped drone after most of its ethics board resigned over the matter. The company, which sells weapons technology for the military and the police, had announced the idea of developing such a machine, saying ...
Microsoft says it will offer its support to worker unionization efforts
As talk of unionizing grows among people working in the tech industry, Microsoft Corp. today said it will not stand in the way if its employees go down that road. In a blog post, Microsoft President Brad Smith acknowledged that in some countries some employees may want to join a union, adding that if that ...