James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Meta takes down millions of accounts related to ‘pig-butchering’ scams
To thwart one of the fastest-growing and most sophisticated online scam industries, Meta Platforms Inc. today said it has removed about 2 million accounts related to investment scams known as “pig-butchering.” The name refers to taking a pig — the human victim — to the slaughter after a period of online grooming when the scammer ...
Meta is now letting users tinker with Instagram’s algorithm recommendation system
In a move that will please some of Instagram’s critics, the company will now allow users to reset the recommendation system that powers what they see in their feeds. For years now, Instagram has been in the sights of child health experts who believe apps such as Instagram are addictive and perhaps harmful in part ...
Accused of violating labor rights, Amazon and SpaceX attack US labor board in court
Attorneys for Amazon.com Inc. and Elon Musk’s SpaceX Corp. today argued in a federal appeals court that the National Labor Relations Board is unconstitutional. In separate cases, attorneys for the two companies told a panel of judges at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that the labor agency, created in 1935, has unchecked power and ...
Waymo’s fleet of robotaxis is now available to anyone in LA
Alphabet Inc.-owned Waymo LLC announced today that its autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One, is now available to everyone in Los Angeles. With a $5.6 billion funding round last month, Waymo is hoping to improve its autonomous driving system, Waymo Driver, while expanding to the more cities around the U.S. Some of those include Buffalo, New ...
Amazon reportedly mulls another multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic – but with an added twist
Amazon.com Inc. is ready for another hefty investment in the San Francisco-based generative artificial intelligence startup Anthropic PBC, one of the main rivals of OpenAI. The report today in The Information follows a report in late September in the same publication that Anthropic was looking to raise a round at a $40 billion valuation. The company has raised $9.7 ...
TikTok told to close its business in Canada amid national security concerns
Canada has become the latest country to talk about the threat of the Chinese social media app TikTok, with the government today ordering the closure of TikTok’s business in the country – but not outright banning the use of the app. Following in the footsteps of the U.S. and several other nations, Canada believes that ...
Amazon gets green light to start drone deliveries in Arizona
After receiving approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, Amazon.com Inc. will start a same-day Prime Air drone delivery service for customers in the West Valley Phoenix Metro Area of Arizona. As of today, those people can make an order and expect to wait up to an hour for the drone to arrive with their goods ...
Bad timing for the New York Times as its tech union goes on strike
The New York Times today said it was “disappointed” as its tech union went on strike just one day before one of the most blustery U.S. presidential elections in recent history. About 600 workers at the newspaper, which happens to have the biggest subscriber list of any American newspaper, are represented by the Times Tech ...
Russia hits Google with astronomical fine over YouTube bans
A Russian court today announced that Google LLC owes the Kremlin a staggering 2 trillion rubles for restricting Russian state media channels on YouTube. Two undecillion rubles – a 2 followed by 36 zeroes – amount to $20 decillion, or around $20 billion trillion. Considering International Monetary Fund figures put the world’s gross domestic product ...
White House limits AI and chip investments to China over national security concerns
The Treasury Department today issued a final rule which serves to restrict and monitor U.S. tech investments in China in an effort to bolster national security. The main areas of investment are artificial intelligence, computer chips and quantum computing. The finalized rules build upon an executive order issued by President Biden in 2023, which blocked ...