James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Facebook’s ban on deepfakes doesn’t impress critics
Despite Facebook Inc.’s vow Monday that there’s no room for deepfake videos on the platform, critics think its ban doesn’t go far enough. The company acknowledged in a blog post that manipulated media is a rising concern, especially as the 2020 U.S. presidential election approaches. Last year, Facebook came under pressure after a manipulated video of House Speaker ...
In a memo, Facebook executive discusses how the company really helped elect Trump
In a memo that was first obtained by The New York Times today and then later made publicly available, top Facebook executive Andrew “Boz” Bosworth candidly discussed some simmering issues at the company, including the possible re-election of President Donald Trump. Bosworth, who heads Facebook’s augmented and virtual reality division, ran through number of issues ...
YouTube introduces strict new policies on content for kids
Google LLC-owned YouTube warned creators Monday that its recent change in policy regarding children’s content will have a “significant impact.” In September, YouTube settled with the Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General to the tune of $170 million after the company was accused of unlawfully collecting data on kids under age 13. ...
TikTok may move out of China to appease US officials
The Chinese-owned video app TikTok could be looking for a new home to get on the right side of U.S. officials, according to a report today in the Wall Street Journal. People familiar with the matter said the cities of London, Dublin and Singapore are on the table, although it doesn’t look like any cities in ...
Facebook will ban any misleading posts and ads about 2020 US census
Facebook Inc. announced Thursday that it will implement a “census interference policy” to ensure misleading information about the 2020 U.S. census isn’t shared on the platform. In a post, the company said it will take down any misleading information as to when and how to take part in the census, while also removing any posts ...
Facebook cracks down on influencer posts featuring weapons, vaping and tobacco
Facebook Inc. is getting tough on influencers getting paid to promote products relating to weapons, vaping, tobacco and diet supplements on its Instagram app. The company said today in a post that although there have always been rules in place to stop the promotion of such products, it will now start enforcing those rules in the upcoming ...
Another Google employee claims she was fired for her activism
Another Google LLC employee has been let go from the company, and like more before her, she claims it was because of her internal activism. In post on Medium published today, security engineer Kathryn Spiers said that during her almost two years at Google, she had received excellent performance reviews and only two months ago ...
YouTube content moderators complain of mental health problems
People contracted to comb through YouTube content and clean the platform up have complained of long hours and dwindling mental health, according to an investigation by The Verge published Monday. One of those contractors explained to The Verge that at a site based in Austin, Texas, moderators might be hired to weed out content that ...
Google’s real-time language translator comes to Assistant on Android and iOS
Google LLC’s real-time interpreter is now available on Android and iOS phones in 44 languages, the company announced Thursday. A handy app for travelers, the feature was previously only available for Google’s Home smart speakers. When traveling abroad a person can now say, “Hey Google, be my Portuguese translator” or “Hey Google, help me speak ...
Facebook fires contractor for taking bribes to reactivate banned ads
A Facebook Inc. contractor has been fired for taking thousands of dollars in bribes from a shady marketing firm that had already been banned from the platform, according to a BuzzFeed report Tuesday. It was discovered that the employee, based in a Facebook office located in Austin, Texas, had taken $5,000 in bribes to reinstate ...