James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Hello, TikTok: YouTube rolls out its short-form video app in the US
YouTube Shorts, Google LLC’s short-form video app and rival to TikTok, arrived in the U.S. today. Shorts was previously released only in India, where it seems it has become quite popular, although it remains to be seen if YouTube can pose a challenge to the incredibly popular TikTok. Today in a blog post, the company ...
Facebook comes down heavy on Groups to combat disinformation
Facebook Inc. today announced a number of changes it’s making in an effort to crack down on the spread of disinformation on the platform. Many of the problems on Facebook happen when people join certain Groups. Those Groups expand, and before you know it, thousands of people are talking about and sharing dangerous ideas. For ...
Following Supreme Court ruling, UK Uber drivers will be classified as workers
Drivers working for Uber Technologies Inc. in the U.K. will now receive all the benefits that full-time workers get, Uber announced today. The company said that its 70,000 drivers in the U.K. will receive holiday pay, will automatically be enrolled in a pension scheme, and if they are over the age of 25, will be ...
Facebook and News Corp strike a deal in Australia
Media giant News Corp announced today that it has agreed to a three-year content supply deal with Facebook Inc., putting an end to a disagreement in which the social network giant blocked users from viewing or sharing Australian news. In February, Australia passed a media law that would force tech companies such as Facebook and Google ...
Uber and Lyft join forces in sharing data about banned drivers
In what’s been called a “first-of-its-kind” initiative, Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. today announced that they will now start sharing data on banned drivers to improve safety. The two companies had come under scrutiny in the past for not doing enough to ensure passengers are safe from violent acts such as sexual assault. In ...
Facebook lays out its vision for the future of AR: smart glasses
Facebook Reality Labs is exploring what’s coming in the next decade of human-computer interaction, and it’s not going to be something you hold in your hand. “Imagine a world where a lightweight, stylish pair of glasses could replace your need for a computer or smartphone,” FRL said in a blog post today. “You’d have the ability ...
EU gives green light to Microsoft’s $7.5 billion ZeniMax acquisition
The European Union has approved Microsoft Corp.’s $7.5 billion acquisition of ZeniMax Media Inc., the parent company of videogame publisher Bethesda Softworks. Microsoft said it was going to buy ZeniMax back in September, but the company still had to get the approval of both U.S. and E.U. regulators. Now the deal looks set, following a ...
Arizona House passes bill to let app makers use their own payment processing
In what could have major consequences for Google LLC and Apple Inc., the Arizona House of Representatives voted 31-29 today to advance a bill that would let app makers create their own payment processing systems. If HB 2005 becomes law, it will force companies that have app stores that see more than a million downloads a year ...
Facebook Oversight Board wants access to the company’s algorithm
A former Guardian editor who’s on Facebook Inc.’s Oversight Board said today that the board now wants to get a better understanding of the company’s algorithm for which posts run on its News Feed. Talking to the House of Lords communications and digital committee and later quoted by the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger said he and ...
Twitter introduces strikes system to crack down on vaccine misinformation
Twitter Inc. announced today that it’s expanding its efforts to reduce the amount of dubious COVID-19 vaccine-related content appearing on the platform. In a blog post, the company revealed that from now on, when tweets appear that appear to contain false or misleading information about vaccines, labels will appear stating that. Twitter may also provide ...