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

Meta details its efforts to take down a troll farm operated out of Nicaraguan government offices

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

Meta Platforms Inc. announced today that it has taken down 937 accounts tied to the government of Nicaragua and President Daniel Ortega’s Sandinista party. Meta, which until last week was known as Facebook Inc., called the outfit a “troll farm,” saying it had violated the company’s policy against “coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB) on behalf of ...

Facing more government backlash, Facebook tells staff to preserve internal documents

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

As legal action against Facebook Inc. looks imminent, the company reportedly has told staff to preserve all internal documents and communications going back to 2016. To say the company has come under some scrutiny of late would be a massive understatement. First, a series of leaks reported by The Wall Street Journal put a spotlight ...

White House names Jessica Rosenworcel to become first female chair at FCC

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

President Biden today named Jessica Rosenworcel (pictured) as the permanent chair of the Federal Communications Commission, making her the first woman ever to hold the position. In what’s seen as another progressive move, it was announced that Gigi Sohn has been nominated to serve as a commissioner at the FCC. If she’s selected for that ...

‘Facebook Papers’ add up to the social media giant’s biggest challenge yet

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

A number of U.S. news organizations over the weekend began publishing stories related to thousands of internal Facebook Inc. documents, and they just keep on coming. What the documents reveal is not exactly news that comes out of the blue. They are the basis of the complaints that Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen made to the ...

Twitter research reveals its algorithm prefers right-leaning content, but it doesn’t know why

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

Following research undertaken by the company, Twitter announced today that its algorithm actually amplifies right-leaning political content over left-wing content. The news might come as a shock to some, especially former president Donald Trump, who has been exiled by much of social media. He has accused Twitter and other social media companies of harboring a political ...

US cracks down on exporting hacking tools to China, Russia, other ‘countries of concern’

SECURITY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced today that it will begin tightening controls on the sale of hacking tools and surveillance software to countries that might pose a national security threat. The Bureau of Industry and Security issued an interim rule which will put “controls on the export, re-export or transfer (in-country) of certain items ...

Facebook settles $14 million over claim it discriminated against US workers

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that Facebook Inc. has settled two civil cases which accused the company of refusing to hire U.S. workers by saving positions for people on temporary visas. Last year, the DOJ sued Facebook for discriminating against the U.S. workforce in regard to its hiring practices. The claim stated that ...

Lawmakers allege Amazon’s Jeff Bezos might have misled Congress

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

A U.S. House Judiciary Committee wrote a letter to Amazon executives Sunday, saying the company has until November to prove it didn’t lie in front of Congress in 2020. In July that year, Amazon’s now-Executive Chairman and then Chief Executive Jeff Bezos was asked if the company ever mined data and then on the back ...

Microsoft retires Chinese version of LinkedIn after censorship criticism

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

Microsoft Corp. announced today that it’s shutting down the Chinese version of LinkedIn, with the company stating there have been issues with “compliance” in the country. In a blog post, the company said it will introduce a different app in China called “In Jobs” that should arrive sometime later this year. It will be a ...

Facebook updates its harassment policies to protect public figures better

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 5 YEARS AGO

As part of an effort to appease its growing number of critics, Facebook Inc. announced today that it will expand its policies to provide better protection of public figures. The company said it will begin talking down “severe sexualizing content” relating to such figures, which will cover celebrities, people working in politics, and even well-known ...