James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
UK announces it will shake up GDPR data protection rules
The U.K. said today that it will “shake up” data laws previously in line with European data protection regulations. Now that the U.K. is on its own following its Brexit break with the European Union, it’s reported that the country wants to see an end to “endless” cookie pop-ups that ask for permission to use ...
Report: Facebook is thinking about creating a commission to advise on elections
Facebook Inc. is considering forming a commission to advise on decisions it makes around elections in the U.S. and abroad, according to an article published in The New York Times today. According to people familiar with the matter, Facebook has already consulted a number of academics and policy experts about setting up the commission. If ...
Study finds Trump election fraud tweets spread more when labeled misinformation
A study published today found that when Twitter Inc. blocked engagement of former President Donald Trump’s election fraud claims, they were shared more often on other social media platforms. The study, undertaken by researchers at New York University researchers and published in the Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review, endeavored to find out what happened when ...
Report: Amazon is planning to get into the department store business
Amazon.com Inc. is branching out again, with reports today saying the company is on the verge of opening several large brick-and-mortar department stores in the U.S. The company hasn’t confirmed the move, calling the details of a report on the matter in the Wall Street Journal “rumors and speculation,” although the Journal said plans are ...
Facebook’s new most ‘Widely Viewed’ content report: Don’t stop the presses
Facebook Inc. today published its first report on what people on the platform look at the most, at least in the U.S., and the result is underwhelming. The move in is line with criticism the company has faced over transparency issues, as well as the fact Facebook has been called out for promoting inflammatory and sometimes ...
Social media companies face new challenges with the Taliban
Following the Taliban’s taking of Kabul and effectively gaining control of Afghanistan, social media companies are having to deal with a novel problem: Should they allow the Islamist group to post content on their platforms? Facebook Inc. doesn’t see the Taliban as just another government, calling the group a terrorist organization. For that reason, it ...
Tinder is making ID Verification available to users globally
The Match Group-owned dating app Tinder announced today that its ID Verification feature will be available to all users around the world. Tinder didn’t specify exactly when this will happen, only that it will be in “coming quarters.” The feature has been available since 2019 in Japan, where it is the law, although in the ...
TikTok becomes next social media company to introduce new child safety features
ByteDance Ltd.-owned TikTok today announced some changes regarding safety for teens, following other social media companies that have recently done the same. This comes as new regulations from the U.K. under the “Age Appropriate Design Code” will come into effect next month. It’s likely other countries will soon follow suit, while in the U.S. politicians ...
US senators target Google and Apple app store dominance with new bill
A bill introduced to the Senate today could disrupt the dominance that Google LLC and Apple Inc. have in the app store domain. The bipartisan “Open Apps Market Bill” aims to “promote competition and reduce gatekeeper power in the app economy, increase choice, improve quality, and reduce costs for consumers.” The bill was sponsored by ...
Google will add a slew of new child protection features for search and YouTube
Google LLC today announced some new features for its search engine and also for YouTube in an attempt to make children’s online experience safer. In a blog post today, the company said it will now give users under the age of 18 the ability to request any images of themselves be hidden from search results. ...