James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Citing security concerns, FCC commissioner asks Apple and Google to remove TikTok from app stores
The Federal Communications Commission’s Brendan Carr today told Apple Inc. and Google LLC that they should remove the TikTok from their app stores, warning that there are security concerns with the app’s parent company, ByteDance Ltd. Carr, who’s a Republican commissioner, said he believes the Chinese company is violating the standards of Apple and Google ...
Pinterest CEO steps down as company focuses on e-commerce drive
The longtime chief executive and co-founder of Pinterest Inc., Ben Silbermann stepped down today as the company revs up its efforts in the e-commerce business. Bill Ready, who was recently the boss of Google’s commerce business, will take over from Silbermann. Ready had been at Google just three years, and before that was the vice ...
Instagram is now testing an AI system that will scan people’s faces for their age
Instagram said today that it’s testing some new technologies to help it verify people’s age, including an artificial intelligence tool that might be able to tell folks how old they are. People who use Instagram should be at least 13 years of age, but this has not always been the case. It wasn’t until 2019 ...
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 ...