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

India bans PUBG and a slew of other Chinese apps

After already banning a large number of Chinese apps in late July, India today announced it’s prohibiting 118 Chinese apps from the country. In June, India made a loud statement when it banned the immensely popular video-sharing app TikTok along with 50 other apps, citing security concerns. Prior to that, the country was by far the biggest ...

Facebook removes Pages and accounts of Russian troll farm

Following a tip from the FBI, Facebook Inc. today said that its removed Pages and accounts linked to Russia’s infamous troll farm, the Internet Research Agency. In a report, Facebook said it removed 13 Facebook accounts and two Pages that violated its policy against foreign interference through coordinated inauthentic behavior. The activity originated in Russia, with ...

TikTok may have already chosen a US buyer, but the deal still faces hurdles

Chinese-owned social video app TikTok might have already agreed to sell its U.S., New Zealand and Australian businesses to American firms, according to a report today by CNBC. Owner, ByteDance Ltd., reportedly has two top bidders. Those are a partnership between Microsoft Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc., and Oracle Corp. The acquisition is thought to ...

Microsoft says it’s now bringing transcriptions to Word

Microsoft Corp. announced today that it’s bringing transcriptions to Word for all Microsoft 365 subscribers around the world. The service, called “Transcribe,” will support existing audio files but will also allow the user to record conversations within Word for the web, which will then be transcribed automatically. “Whether you’re a reporter conducting interviews, a researcher ...

After threat from Thai government, Facebook blocks access to large group

Facebook Inc. has banned access to a group in Thailand that discusses the Thai monarchy, it was revealed today. The group, “Royalist Marketplace,” was started earlier this year by self-exiled critic of the Thai monarchy, Pavin Chachavalpongpun. Criticizing the monarchy in Thailand can lead to serious consequences under the country’s strict lèse-majesté law – perhaps ...

Trump asks Supreme Court to allow him to block his critics on Twitter

The White House today called for the Supreme Court to reverse a lower-court ruling that said President Donald Trump wasn’t allowed to block his critics on his go-to social media platform, Twitter Inc. Trump appealed that decision, but a court ruled that because the president does government business on Twitter, it is the right under ...

Facebook purges hundreds of QAnon, Antifa groups and limits spread of ‘militia’ support

Facebook Inc. today embarked on one of its biggest purges of content of all time, taking down hundreds of Pages and Groups related to what it calls “U.S.-based militia organizations.” The main focus of the removals was content supporting the conspiracy theory group QAnon, although Facebook said the net covered any content that was considered in support ...

Bucking work-from-home trend, Amazon to expand offices across the US

Amazon.com Inc. announced today that it will expand its offices in six cities across the U.S., a move not in line with many tech companies’ decision to have staff work from home indefinitely or at least for a few years. The company said that it will invest $1.4 billion to bolster its office workforce in ...

TikTok creates new website and Twitter account to fight ‘misinformation’ about itself

As President Trump tries to ban viral video app TikTok from the United States, the company is fighting back. Over the weekend the company created a Twitter Inc. account and today it launched its own website. The moves follow an executive order from the Trump administration stating that the Chinese-owned app will be banned in the ...

Facebook investigation reveals QAnon groups have millions of members

Facebook Inc. has found that the QAnon community on its platform could have as many as 3 million members, according to an investigation that was reviewed today by NBC News. The top 10 of the groups contain about 1 million members, according to people who spoke with NBC on the condition of anonymity. That number ...