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

The New York Times buys the popular word game Wordle

APPS - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

The New York Times has acquired the online game of the moment, Wordle, its creator Josh Wardle said today. No specific acquisition price was disclosed, but the Times said it was in the low seven figures. For the time being, at least, the game will remain free for users and become part of the Times’ ...

YouTube permanently bans Fox host Dan Bongino for COVID misinformation

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

Google LLC-owned YouTube today permanently banned Fox host Dan Bongino after he tried to get around a previous suspension for breaching the company’s COVID-19 misinformation policy. The conservative commentator (pictured) had previously fallen afoul of YouTube’s rules after apparently questioning the efficacy of masks in the time of the pandemic. During that suspension, he posted ...

FTC hands out first fine ever to a company that suppressed negative reviews

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it has settled with California-based fast-fashion retailer Fashion Nova LLC to the tune of $4.2 million for blocking negative reviews of its products on its website. The agency said this is the first time it has fined a company for such deceptive practices. Those practices allegedly amounted to ...

Bank of Russia calls for ban on cryptocurrencies

BLOCKCHAIN - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

Russia’s central bank today proposed a ban on the use and mining of cryptocurrencies, saying they pose a threat to the county’s financial stability and people’s well-being. For a long time now, Russian politicians have talked about how such digital currencies could easily be used to launder cash or for terrorism, although in 2020 the ...

Red Cross hack has compromised data of 500,000+ ‘vulnerable’ people

SECURITY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

The International Committee of the Red Cross said today that sometime this week it was hit with a cyberattack that compromised the data of 515,000 vulnerable people. The data concerned came from at least 60 Red Cross and Red Crescent national securities around the globe, related to missing people and families, people separated by conflict, ...

Israeli police accused of using Pegasus malware to spy illegally on citizens

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

Israeli police are under fire after a report accused them of using the NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware to access the devices of the public, it was reported today. The claims were made by the Israeli newspaper Calcalist, which contends that its investigation proves that the spyware was used on critics of the former Prime Minister ...

Scores of employees at Activision Blizzard have exited the company during sexual harassment probe

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

Thirty-seven employees at Activision Blizzard Inc. have exited the company during a months-long sexual harassment probe. The Wall Street Journal, which has seen documents related to the matter, reported today that 44 more employees have been disciplined over the matter. In July last year, there was a walkout at the company over allegations of rampant ...

House committee looking into Jan. 6 Capitol attack subpoenas social media giants

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

The House committee leading the investigation into the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6 today sent subpoenas to Meta Platforms Inc., Google LLC, Twitter Inc. and Reddit Inc. Congressman Bennie G. Thompson, chairman of the committee, said the four companies involved had been contacted before but nothing had come of that. He added that sending ...

Fact-checking organizations say YouTube is a major spreader of misinformation

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

A letter signed today by more than 80 global fact-checking groups said Google LLC-owned YouTube is one of the “major conduits of online disinformation and misinformation worldwide.” The letter, addressed to YouTube Chief Executive Susan Wojcicki, was signed by organizations in 46 countries and included the U.S.-based Washington Post fact-checker as well as FactCheck.org, France’s ...

Judge gives go-ahead for FTC to move forward in Meta antitrust case

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

A federal judge today gave the green light for the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to move forward with an antitrust lawsuit against Meta Platforms Inc., formerly Facebook Inc. This is the second time the FTC has tried to go after Meta. District Judge James E. Boasberg dismissed the case last year for what he said ...