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

Facebook outsourcing moderation is hurting the public, states new report

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 6 YEARS AGO

A new report from the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights accuses Facebook Inc. and other social media giants of skimping on moderation by outsourcing it to other companies. The 32-page study, released Monday, says moderation is an essential part of any social media company, and not only do firms need to ...

State-owned media content will now come with a label, says Facebook

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 6 YEARS AGO

Facebook Inc. said today that posts, pages and ads published by media that’s fully or partially owned by a country’s state will now be labeled. Moreover, Facebook said that state-owned ads will be banned in the U.S. The reason, said Facebook, is because “they combine the influence of a media organization with the strategic backing ...

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg stands by decision not to remove Trump posts

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 6 YEARS AGO

Following an avalanche of criticism and a company walkout, Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg still will not submit to pressure regarding his decision not to take down President Donald Trump’s controversial comment. Last week when Trump posted the comment “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” regarding the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, ...

Facebook employees stage virtual walkout after controversial Trump post

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 6 YEARS AGO

Hundreds of Facebook Inc. employees have agreed to stage a virtual walkout following the company’s decision to leave President Trump’s contentious post on the platform, according to a report published by the New York Times today. Last week, Trump came under fire for a comment he posted on both Twitter and Facebook relating to the ...

Trump signs executive order aimed at limiting social media firms’ protections

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 6 YEARS AGO

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at preventing social media companies from limiting content on their platforms, drawing immediate criticism and even ridicule for its shaky legal grounds. In a press release issues by the White House, it was said the power social media companies have to censor information is “un-American and ...

For the first time Twitter adds a fact-check notification to a Trump tweet

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 6 YEARS AGO

In an unprecedented move today, Twitter Inc. asked readers to fact-check two of President Donald Trump’s tweets. Twitter made good on the promise it made earlier this month to label disputed or misleading posts, although this is the first time that company has come down hard on Trump – a leader whose Twitter posts have caused ...

Wikipedia creates new policy to prevent bullying and toxic behavior

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 6 YEARS AGO

The Wikimedia Foundation Inc., the nonprofit organization that runs the website Wikipedia, says it’s about to introduce new codes of conduct to reduce harassment and toxic behavior by some of its volunteers. The new standards, which will fall under a “Community Culture Statement” written by volunteers, will be finalized by the end of the year. ...

Facebook plans partial office reopening, and other big tech firms will soon follow

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 6 YEARS AGO

Facebook is set to start reopening its offices all over the world come July 6, according to an article published by Bloomberg today. The reopening at first will mean only 25% of Facebook’s workforce will be allowed to return, and will include staff working in areas where remote work is difficult. That will mean only ...

Google will longer build AI tools for oil and gas extraction

AI - BY JAMES FARRELL - 6 YEARS AGO

Google LLC no longer will build custom artificial intelligence tools to speed up the extraction of oil and gas, a decision applauded by environmentalists. Although Google had already mentioned its avoidance of providing AI and machine learning services for upstream extraction several weeks ago in an interview with SiliconANGLE (below), the decision came to wider ...

FBI, DOJ slam Apple after opening iPhone of Pensacola gunman, and Apple fires back

POLICY - BY JAMES FARRELL - 6 YEARS AGO

The FBI and the Department of Justice have slammed Apple Inc. for wasting them time in not assisting in the opening of iPhones found after the deadly shootings at a Pensacola Naval Air Station in December 2019. Attorney General William P. Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray said Monday in a press release that there have ...