James Farrell

James Farrell is the former editor-in-chief of Chiang Mai CityNews, where he wrote and managed daily news, features, op-eds and blogs on a diverse range of topics. Prior to this, in the same city of Northern Thailand where he lives, he was the longstanding deputy editor of the monthly magazine Citylife. He has written on culture, politics, travel, tech, business, human rights, for local, national, and international news services and magazines. He has a keen interest in the role technology is playing in the transformation of society, culture and politics, especially in developing nations. This is reflected in his not-so-successful first novel.

Latest from James Farrell

Privacy concerns flare over latest Chrome browser’s ‘forced login’

When Google LLC launched its updated version of Chrome browser, Chrome 69, earlier this month, users were told a lot of small changes would happen all aimed at boosting productivity. But some users now are not happy about something Google wasn’t exactly selling prior to the release of the browser. That is, if you’re logged into ...

Google confirms Gmail accounts of U.S. senators were targeted by state-backed hackers

Google LLC has confirmed that the Gmail accounts of a number of U.S. senators and senate staff were targeted by state-backed hackers. The confirmation on Thursday came a day after Sen. Ron Wyden revealed in a letter that his office had discovered that the personal email accounts of several senators and aides had been “targeted ...

Amazon to open 3,000 cashierless stores

Amazon.com Inc. may open at least 3,000 AmazonGo cashierless stores in the U.S. over the next few years, which looks like a move to take on the everyday convenience store and fast-food joints. According to Bloomberg, someone familiar with the matter had divulged that Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos saw a problem with lunchtime queues ...

Elon Musk’s woes continue as DoJ opens investigation into Tesla

When it rains, it pours, especially on Tesla Inc. and its Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk these days. On Tuesday, reports revealed the company is now under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department relating to tweets Musk made last month. First reported by Bloomberg, the probe opened by the DoJ will look at statements Musk ...

Ahead of midterms, Facebook introduces new security tools for political candidates

Facebook Inc. today rolled out a pilot program that will offer enhanced security protections for U.S. political candidates and elected officials ahead of the upcoming midterms. By its own admission, Facebook “didn’t do enough” to prevent interference by foreign agents in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, and it’s now determined to ensure such undermining of ...

Mark Zuckerberg outlines his strategy to keep Facebook abuse-free

Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg released what could be called a manifesto Thursday, outlining how the company will fight election interference on the platform as well as keeping misinformation at bay. Zuckerberg talked of “foreign actors” such as Russia-based operators that had paid for political ads during the U.S. presidential election. This time, he contended, ...

EU may levy massive fines on tech giants that don’t take terrorist content down within an hour

The European Commission has proposed a new rule that if passed will mean companies such as Google LLC, Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. could face serious financial penalties if they don’t manage to take down terrorist propaganda within one hour. The plan was announced by commission president Jean-Claude Juncker Wednesday during his state of the ...

FCC needs more time to review T-Mobile and Sprint merger

The Federal Communications Commission said Tuesday it needs more time to review the planned merger of T-Mobile US Inc. and Sprint Corp. The third- and fourth-largest mobile carriers in the U.S agreed in April to merge in a$26 billion deal and were given a 180-day period by the FCC for the merger to be reviewed. ...

EU court to decide Tuesday if ‘right to be forgotten’ online applies worldwide

The European Court of Justice will make a ruling Tuesday that could profoundly impact the public’s right to access information online. Fifteen judges will decide whether people have “the right to be forgotten” regarding what information can be found when searching their name online. The right means that if someone can prove that searchable information is “inaccurate, ...

Jack Ma to step down as chairman of Alibaba next year

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. announced Monday in China that Jack Ma will be replaced as chairman of the company a year from now. On Sept. 10, 2019, current Chief Executive Daniel Zhang will succeed Ma (pictured), although Ma will remain on Alibaba Group’s board of directors until its annual general meeting of shareholders in 2020. Ma ...