James Farrell
Latest from James Farrell
Thousands of creatives join forces to combat AI data scraping
Some of the biggest names in the creative arts have added their names to a letter addressing what for them is the growing problem of the unlicensed use of creative works for AI training. The signatories call data scraping a “major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be ...
Meta will employ facial recognition technology to fight celebrity scam ads
Meta Platforms Inc. today said it’s in the process of testing new facial recognition technology to help reduce the number of “celebrity bait” ads that appear on the company’s social media platforms. The company explained that when an ad is suspected of being a scam, it will be flagged by technology already in use. Since ...
Meta announces layoffs across several divisions for abusing meal credits
Meta Platforms Inc. has been cutting jobs in various divisions, including letting 24 go from Instagram and Facebook for abusing the company’s $25 meal credit system. In the latter case, it’s reported that the transgressors had not been spending their lunch credits on food, but were buying household items such as toothpaste, laundry detergent and ...
FTC makes canceling subscriptions less of a pain with ‘click to cancel’ rule
The Federal Trade Commission today announced its new “click to cancel” rule, which will make it as easy to cancel a subscription as it was to sign up. Getting out of subscriptions is notoriously annoying, usually taking much more effort than it took to join. From media subscriptions to gym memberships to cable TV services, ...
US and UK join forces in ‘historic agreement’ to tackle child safety online
The U.S. and U.K. governments today announced they’re creating a joint children’s online safety working group in an effort to find “common solutions” to the issue of child safety online. “As more children across the U.S. and around the globe have access to online platforms for online learning and social media, there is also increased ...
Russian rampage against US tech continues with ban of Discord
Russia’s communications regulator has banned the instant messaging platform Discord for violations of Russian law, adding to a growing list of American tech firms whose services are now restricted in Russia. “The access to Discord is being restricted in connection of violation of requirements of Russian laws, compliance with which is required to prevent the ...
Coalition of US attorneys general goes after TikTok for ‘wreaking havoc’ on children’s mental health
A bipartisan group of more than a dozen state attorneys general filed lawsuits today against the Chinese social media app TikTok, claiming it’s causing a multitude of problems where children’s mental health is concerned. The suits, each filed individually but led by the attorneys general of New York and California, accuse the platform of violating ...
Texas AG sues TikTok over breach of new child safety law
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today filed a lawsuit against the social media giant TikTok for allegedly sharing the personal data of young people, a violation of the state’s new child safety law. That law, the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act, or SCOPE, is part of a wider push by U.S. politicians to ...
Free speech row erupts over X suspending journalist who published JD Vance dossier
After X Corp. suspended journalist Ken Klippenstein’s account today when he published a Trump campaign document hacked by Iran, various media outlets have asserted that X isn’t the free speech platform it claims to be. The document in question, a 271-page opposition research file on former president Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (pictured), ...
X releases first transparency report since Elon Musk took over the platform
X Corp. released its first transparency report today under its owner Elon Musk, detailing the platform’s arguably surprising moderation strategies. The last time such a report was issued was back in 2021, when X was Twitter Inc., and being a user of the website wasn’t quite so much a politically polarizing issue. Since Musk’s acquisition ...