James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
UK government warns porn sites might be legally required to verify user ages
The U.K. today said that as part of the Online Safety Bill, it might make it a requirement that all pornography websites perform “robust checks” on the age of their users. If that sounds familiar, that’s because a similar bill was discussed back in 2017 as part of the Digital Economy Act. At the time, the ...
Peter Thiel announces he will step down from Meta’s board
After 17 years, the billionaire investor Peter Thiel says he’s leaving the board of Meta Platforms Inc., it was announced today. Thiel, who was born in Germany and went to the U.S. as a kid, was one of the first investors in Meta, which was then Facebook Inc. He was a founder of PayPal Inc. ...
Australia’s second-richest person is suing Facebook over the use of his image in scams
An Australian billionaire launched a legal case against Facebook Inc. today, alleging that the company didn’t do enough to prevent the spread of scam ads with his face in them appearing on the platform. The billionaire in question, mining magnate Andrew Forrest (pictured), says Facebook breached Australia’s anti-money laundering laws regarding the spread of cryptocurrency ...
Tesla recalls thousands of cars over ‘rolling stop’ feature
Tesla Inc. will recall 53,822 of its cars because a feature may allow the car to slowly roll through intersections without coming to a complete stop. In a letter to Tesla made public today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the recalled vehicles include the 2016-2022 Model S and Model X, the 2017-2022 Model ...
The New York Times buys the popular word game Wordle
The New York Times has acquired the online game of the moment, Wordle, its creator Josh Wardle said today. No specific acquisition price was disclosed, but the Times said it was in the low seven figures. For the time being, at least, the game will remain free for users and become part of the Times’ ...
YouTube permanently bans Fox host Dan Bongino for COVID misinformation
Google LLC-owned YouTube today permanently banned Fox host Dan Bongino after he tried to get around a previous suspension for breaching the company’s COVID-19 misinformation policy. The conservative commentator (pictured) had previously fallen afoul of YouTube’s rules after apparently questioning the efficacy of masks in the time of the pandemic. During that suspension, he posted ...
FTC hands out first fine ever to a company that suppressed negative reviews
The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it has settled with California-based fast-fashion retailer Fashion Nova LLC to the tune of $4.2 million for blocking negative reviews of its products on its website. The agency said this is the first time it has fined a company for such deceptive practices. Those practices allegedly amounted to ...
Bank of Russia calls for ban on cryptocurrencies
Russia’s central bank today proposed a ban on the use and mining of cryptocurrencies, saying they pose a threat to the county’s financial stability and people’s well-being. For a long time now, Russian politicians have talked about how such digital currencies could easily be used to launder cash or for terrorism, although in 2020 the ...
Red Cross hack has compromised data of 500,000+ ‘vulnerable’ people
The International Committee of the Red Cross said today that sometime this week it was hit with a cyberattack that compromised the data of 515,000 vulnerable people. The data concerned came from at least 60 Red Cross and Red Crescent national securities around the globe, related to missing people and families, people separated by conflict, ...
Israeli police accused of using Pegasus malware to spy illegally on citizens
Israeli police are under fire after a report accused them of using the NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware to access the devices of the public, it was reported today. The claims were made by the Israeli newspaper Calcalist, which contends that its investigation proves that the spyware was used on critics of the former Prime Minister ...