James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Facebook Inc. announced today that WhatsApp users won’t lose their account completely if they don’t agree to its new privacy policy right away, but the company has made many users an offer they might not be able to refuse. WhatsApp said on …
Dozens of attorneys general tell Facebook to scrap plans to launch Instagram for kids
Forty-four state attorneys general have signed a letter urging Facebook Inc. not to go ahead with its plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13. The letter, which was published online today, talked about the “detrimental” …
Twitter introduces Tip Jar, a way to make money from tweets
Twitter Inc. announced today that it’s now testing a tipping system called Tip Jar that will allow users to send money to the accounts that impress them with certain tweets. Earlier this year, Twitter laid out plans for a number of changes …
Trump remains banned on Facebook after review, and he’s not happy
Former U.S. President Donald Trump will not be back on Facebook anytime soon after the social network giant’s Oversight Board decided today to uphold his suspension. However, the board criticized Facebook for handing down a ban that was wasn’t permanent but didn’t have …
Twitter buys Scroll, and news aggregator Nuzzel is on its way out
Twitter Inc. announced today that it’s acquiring web content reading platform Scroll, which will mean Scroll’s popular news aggregator service, Nuzzel, will be no more. Scroll charged users a $5-a-month subscription fee for delivering content that came without ads and any other …
Twitter Spaces, a rival to Clubhouse, is now available to users with 600+ followers
Twitter Inc. announced today that Spaces is ready to go, mounting a challenge to a slew of similar apps such as Clubhouse that have taken off recently. The audio-based conversation feature can be used by both iOS and Android users not as …
EU OKs law to make tech companies take down terrorist content in less than an hour
The European Union announced today that it has approved a law to require technology platforms to flag and take down terrorist-related within one hour or face hefty fines. “The new regulation will target content such as texts, images, sound recordings or videos, …
Facebook admits hiding posts asking India Prime Minister Modi to resign
Indian Facebook Inc. users today lashed out at the company after they found that any posts featuring a hashtag asking for the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were hidden. When people tried to post content asking for the man to step …
Spotify’s podcast subscription service may pose serious challenge to Apple Podcasts
Spotify AB today announced it’s launching a paid podcast subscription service, something that may look more enticing to anyone thinking about using Apple Inc.’s similar product. In a blog post today, Spotify said the product will be available first to select podcasts …
Lyft is selling its self-driving car unit for $550 million to Toyota’s Woven Planet
Lyft Inc. announced today that it’s selling its self-driving car unit Level 5 for $550 million to Woven Planet, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Co. Some $200 million will be paid upfront, while the rest of the cash will be paid over …