James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Facebook lets advertisers change news headlines
As Facebook Inc. clamps down on the spread of disinformation on its platform, it still allow advertisers to change news headlines, according to a report by CBC Monday. That could be confusing for the consumer, who may believe the headline was the creation of the publisher and not the advertiser. An example given was a ...
Google has changed its algorithm to boost original reporting
Articles that contain “original reporting” will be elevated in Google LLC’s search rankings from now on, the company announced Thursday. The change should be good news for journalists, with Google saying its team of human reviewers will also scan the deluge of stories in an attempt to find good journalism among more dubious articles. “An ...
FTC to investigate Amazon’s marketplace on antitrust issues
Investigators from the Federal Trade Commission have started an investigation in Amazon.com’s marketplace, according to a report published by Bloomberg Wednesday. According to other recent reports, this current investigation is part of a wider probe into big tech and how some companies might be stifling competition. Speaking at a conference Tuesday, Bilal Sayyed, the FTC’s director ...
Following slew of lawsuits, Lyft adds new safety requirements for drivers
Lyft Inc. is making changes to its safety policies after recent lawsuits accused its drivers of committing sexual assaults. In a blog post Tuesday, the company said it doesn’t take such allegations lightly, so it has introduced regulations that it hopes will combat assault. Drivers will now not only be continually monitored by state departments ...
Women’s period tracking apps are sharing intimate data with Facebook
Menstruation tracking apps have been sharing highly sensitive data with Facebook Inc., the U.K.-based advocacy group Privacy International said Monday. According to that group’s research, apps such as Maya by Plackal Tech and MIA by Mobapp Development Limited shared information with Facebook about menstruation cycles, menstruation symptoms, mood and general health, but also the use ...
Facebook introduces ‘Dating’ feature to US market
Facsebook Inc. is vying to overtake dating apps in the U.S. after releasing its own service here Thursday. The company said that after testing the feature in a number of countries since 2018, the service will roll out to American lonely hearts. In a blog post, Facebook said the feature will already know interests, groups, events ...
Big tech meets with US national security officials to discuss 2020 election
Representatives from Google LLL, Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc. and Microsoft Corp. met with U.S. security officials Wednesday in Silicon Valley to discuss the upcoming 2020 presidential election. The talk, held at Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park, California, was not announced beforehand to the media. People close to the matter said the representatives from the aforementioned ...
Homeland Security won’t be able to use reported fake accounts, says Facebook
During Facebook Inc.’s continuing crackdown on fake accounts, its latest victim is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The social media giant told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the department is no different from anyone else when it comes to violating its terms of service. The announcement follows news that Citizenship and Immigration Services ...
Facebook might do away with the ‘Like’ count
In an effort to reduce the pressure of using social media, Facebook Inc. could get rid of its ‘Like’ count on the news feed. The possibility was first raised today by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong, who noticed that in the Android app Facebook was hiding the number of ‘Likes’ on some posts from everyone ...
Facebook strengthens rules for political ads ahead of 2020 election
Facebook Inc. will make its rules on political advertising stricter to prevent the spread of disinformation on the run-up to the 2020 U.S. elections, the company announced Wednesday. The social media giant was heavily criticized for allowing Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and can’t afford to allow that to happen again this time ...
