James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Facebook blasts Apple over upcoming data privacy changes
A number of Facebook Inc. ads today criticized Apple Inc. over changes to its upcoming iOS 14 operating system. The full-page ads appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, each carrying the headline, “We’re standing up to Apple for small businesses everywhere.” That’s a criticism of Apple’s decision ...
Troll farms in France and Russia are trying to influence politics in Africa, according to Facebook
Rival troll networks from France and Russia have been trying to meddle with politics in North Africa and the Middle East, according to a blog post published today by Facebook Inc. Facebook said it had taken down three separate networks for violating the company’s policy against foreign or government interference. The networks were accused of coordinated ...
Pornhub has just removed the majority of its videos
The world’s largest pornography website, Pornhub, has removed millions of unverified videos following a scathing report published earlier in December by the New York Times. That report detailed how the website hosted videos of children, which resulted in the website making some policy changes. Last week, Pornhub said that it would ban downloads and restrict ...
Uber sends letter to US governors asking for COVID-19 vaccine priority
Uber Technologies Inc. today sent a letter to governors in all 50 U.S. states asking for early access to the COVID-19 vaccine for its food delivery and ride-hailing drivers. “Over the last nine months, these workers have been a lifeline to their communities,” Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi wrote in the letter. “They have transported healthcare workers ...
VMware announces its 2030 agenda for a more ethical use of technology
Under a model for building an “equitable, sustainable and resilient world,” VMware Inc. today announced its plan to address global challenges over the next decade. “This year has created an even greater sense of urgency to take action on global and societal challenges so we’ve set bold goals that are core to our business and ...
Google says it will look into the controversial exit of AI ethicist
Google LLC Chief Executive Sundar Pichai today told staff he will investigate the exit of an artificial intelligence ethicist following an eruption of denunciation from inside and outside the company. The controversy started when Dr. Timnit Gebru (pictured) announced that she had been fired by Google for speaking out about what she and others view as ...
State of California partners with Apple and Google to launch COVID-19 contact tracing app
After testing at the University of California at Berkeley last month, the state of California will get its first COVID-19 tracing app, CA Notify, starting this Thursday. In a tweet today, California Governor Gavin Newsom thanked Apple Inc. and Google LLC for partnering with the state, adding that the technology is opt-in. If people choose ...
DOJ sues Facebook alleging it discriminated against US workers
The Department of Justice filed a complaint today accusing Facebook Inc. of discriminating against the U.S. workforce regarding its hiring practices. Prosecutors accuse Facebook of purposefully hiding jobs from the U.S. workforce and ignoring them for 2,600 positions that had an average salary of $156,000. The lawsuit alleges that Facebook “diverged from its normal recruiting ...
Google accused of breaking labor laws for firing staff behind protests
A complaint was filed today by the National Labor Relations Board accusing Google LLC of breaking U.S. labor laws. The company is accused of illegally spying on workers and also questioning them, before firing staff who were behind protests in 2019. The workers were also trying to form a union. The complaint names former employees ...
Facebook Oversight Board announces its first cases to review
Facebook Inc.’s Oversight Board announced today that it has chosen its first batch of cases to review. The board, which was announced at the beginning of the year, is made up of academics, media specialists and human rights advocates from around the world. These people are tasked with looking at problematic content that Facebook has taken ...