James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
After election, Facebook changed algorithm to highlight authoritative news sources
In response to a surge of misinformation on its platform after the election, Facebook Inc. reportedly made changes to its algorithm to favor more reliable news sources. According to a report published in the New York Times today, after the election, staff at Facebook told Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg that they were seeing an alarming rise ...
Twitter is now adding warning labels when people try to like misleading tweets
In its battle to fight the spread of misinformation, Twitter Inc. announced today that it will now add a warning label when a user tries to like a tweet containing dubious information. “Giving context on why a labeled tweet is misleading under our election, COVID-19, and synthetic and manipulated media rules is vital,” said the ...
Digital media merger: BuzzFeed is buying HuffPost from Verizon
Two of the largest digital media companies, Buzzfeed News and Verizon Media-owned HuffPost, today said they’ve agreed to join forces. Buzzfeed said as part of a stock deal it will acquire HuffPost, although the two entities will stay as they are in terms of branding. BuzzFeed’s founder, Jonah Peretti (pictured), who co-founded the Huffington Post, ...
Facebook content moderators are demanding a safer working environment
More than 200 moderators who work for Facebook Inc. in various countries have signed an online letter published today asking that the company allow them to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter, which was sent to Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, was also addressed to the CEOs of ...
Facebook and Twitter CEOs defend their companies before Congress
Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter Inc. CEO Jack Dorsey said Tuesday they’re open to changes being made to a controversial federal internet law as both men faced a number of questions on various topics from Democrats and Republicans. Both men agreed that Section 230, a statute in the Communications Decency Act that ...
Twitter hires renowned hacker as head of security
Twitter Inc. confirmed today that its new head of security will be the well-known hacker Peiter Zatko, aka “Mudge.” According to Reuters, which first reported the hire, Zatko has been asked to deal with the spread of misinformation on the platform as well as protect Twitter from security breaches. He will report directly to Chief ...
Top White House cybersecurity official expects to be forced to resign
As President Donald Trump purges those he deems disloyal to him, a top cybersecurity official has said that he’s next in line to go. Chris Krebs, the director of Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, has told colleagues that he believes he’ll soon be asked to resign, according to various news outlets ...
Facebook and Google extend political ad ban as Trump refuses to accept defeat
Facebook Inc. announced today that its ban on political ads will stand, a move the company said will prevent the spread of misinformation. Facebook said in a blog post that since U.S. election results are taking longer this time because of the Covid-19 pandemic and massive mail-in votes, it has introduced some policies to prevent confusion and ...
Walmart partners with Cruise in a pilot for self-driving car delivery service
Walmart Inc. and General Motors Co. subsidiary Cruise LLC have agreed to partner on a self-driving delivery service in Scottsdale, Arizona, it was announced today. In April, Walmart launched its “Express Delivery” service, which is now available in more than 2,800 stores. The company has said that during the Covid-19 pandemic it saw an increase in ...
EU introduces stricter rules on selling surveillance technology
The European Union said today that it has introduced tighter rules regarding the sale of surveillance technology such as facial recognition and spyware. New regulations mean companies will have to secure licenses from governments to sell such technologies. Companies will also be expected to assess the possible human rights abuses that could occur from using the tech. ...