Tech Life

Theranos and Silicon Valley

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What does the conviction of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes tell us about tech startup culture? The BBC's James Clayton is joined by NPR tech report...

The return of CES

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The major tech show returns to Las Vegas after going virtual during the pandemic. But as the impact of the coronavirus continues to be felt, is there ...

Tech predictions for 2022

31 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The BBC tech team on what we'll all be talking about over the next 12 months. Featuring Silicon Valley correspondent James Clayton on why Web 3.0 will...

Tech Tent quiz of the year 2021

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What better way to review the big tech stories of 2021 than with a battle of wits? Chris Fox tests the finest minds in tech journalism on the biggest ...

The UK's plan to rein in big tech

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Politicians in the UK push forward plans for new laws to regulate social media and the tech giants. It’s designed to protect children from harmful c...

When crypto met football

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Tidy and Sarah Mulkerrins investigate the growing presence of cryptocurrency technology in the world of football. Some of the biggest clubs in the...

@jack exits Twitter

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What next for the social media platform after Jack Dorsey quits? the BBC's tech reporter in Silicon Valley James Clayton tells us why Jack Dorsey has ...

A volcano-powered Bitcoin city?

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

El Salvador's president made Bitcoin legal tender, now he wants to build a city. Joe Tidy speaks to Salvodoran-American cryptocurrency enthusiast and ...

The global rise of ransomware

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How hackers stole millions from companies around the world, and why they're so difficult to stop. Chris Fox speaks to Jen Ellis from cybersecurity fir...

Ransomware gangs face a crackdown

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Alleged hackers are arrested and millions of dollars recovered in a global police operation. Is the tide finally turning in the battle against ransomw...

The Squid Game coin scam

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How cryptocurrency scams have become an everyday event. Joe Tidy speaks to crypto watcher Dan Arreola about the ease with which scammers can create ne...

Whistleblower piles pressure on Facebook

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Frances Haugen tells a British parliamentary committee that the social giant’s engagement algorithm puts users at risk of harm. Plus we get a view f...

Tech for future living

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How the metaverse, energy tech, and AI might influence how we live in years to come. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter David Moll...

Bezos' rocket blasts Star Trek actor into space

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

William Shatner makes global headlines by becoming the oldest person to travel to space, aboard the Blue Origin craft backed by Jeff Bezos. But has El...

Facebook’s punishing week

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The social giant suffers one of its worst ever weeks after a tech blunder takes its platforms offline for hours, and a whistleblower gives highly crit...

A ‘practical’ quantum computer

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Are quantum computers ready to make the leap from the lab to the business? We visit two companies trying to make that a reality. Plus, we hear about I...

A turning point for Facebook?

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Will US press reports about Facebook bring tighter regulation or a breakup a step closer? Plus, the British startup that wants to power the metaverse....

Wikipedia’s editing war

17 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Can the online encyclopaedia be impartial in a world of hotly-contested narratives? Plus, is Apple struggling to innovate? And the privacy implication...

El Salvador's Bitcoin experiment

10 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

El Salvador becomes the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. Cryptocurrency fans celebrate, but will Salvadorans benefit? Rory Cellan-Jones...

China's video games ban

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

China announces plans to restrict children to just three hours of video games a week. How will gamers cope and what does it mean for China's booming v...

AI: Reality and hype

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Is language-based artificial intelligence as capable as it seems? We visit a theatre production that places the GPT-3 algorithm at its heart. Plus, wh...

Fears over Afghan biometric data

20 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Human rights activists say that the Taliban could use databases compiled by the previous government and coalition forces to target citizens. Plus, why...

Removing carbon from the air

13 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Can tech to capture and store carbon prevent a climate catastrophe? Plus how cyber criminals can now check whether their planned cryptocurrency transf...

China cracks down on online games

06 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A state-run media outlet brands online games ‘electronic drugs’ and calls for more curbs on the industry. Plus, the AI that’s claimed to speed u...

Intel’s road ahead

30 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Gelsinger, the CEO of Intel, outlines his plan to regain the lead in silicon chips. Plus, the US tech giants report bumper quarterly profits. Will...

Fresh questions over Pegasus spyware

23 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How the Pegasus software from Israel’s NSO Group has kept ahead of smartphone makers’ attempts to block it. Plus, can Zoom’s new app features ke...

Football and online hate

16 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

England’s black players received a wave of racist abuse after the team lost to Italy in the European Championship final. What could the social platf...

Have apps helped tackle the pandemic?

09 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Did exposure and contact tracing apps live up to the hopes for them? Plus, how ransomware-as-a-service is becoming a serious cyber threat. And new law...

Should robots look like humans?

02 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

SoftBank pauses production of the Pepper service robot with no date for when it will resume. Does it suggest a lack of appetite for humanoid devices? ...

Antivirus pioneer John McAfee found dead

25 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The colourful and controversial entrepreneur created an entire industry with his early antivirus software. But he was now facing extradition from Spai...

Web creator to sell source code as an NFT

18 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Tim Berners-Lee surprises observers by using the latest tech craze to raise funds for charity. Plus, we visit the Founders Forum ClimateTech Summi...

Tech victories for law enforcement

11 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The FBI recovers Bitcoins paid in the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, and separately, tricks organised crime suspects into using a messaging app ...

Huawei pins hopes on HarmonyOS

06 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Chinese giant launches its own smartphone and connected device operating system after the US blocked access to key Google Android tech. Will China...

Can bitcoin mining ever be green?

28 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The cryptocurrency business tries to boost its green credentials with the formation of a 'Bitcoin Mining Council' and the help of Elon Musk. Will it m...

Estonia’s digital society and the pandemic

21 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid discusses how the wide availability of online government services helped citizens during the lockdown. Plus, how...

Ransomware hackers disable key oil pipeline

14 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Has the threat to infrastructure from hackers demanding money been underestimated? Plus, a Facebook moderator tells the Irish Parliament of the toll t...

Trump question comes back to Facebook

07 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The platform’s external Oversight Board says Facebook was right to suspend Donald Trump’s account after the January riot in Washington DC, but wro...

Is Apple iOS 14.5 hurting advertisers?

30 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Apple’s long-awaited iPhone software update arrives with new features to block trackers. What effect is it having so far? Plus, how a machine learni...

The big noise in social media

23 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook and Reddit follow Clubhouse into social audio. Does the idea have lasting appeal? Plus, home-made jet suit builder Richard Browning on what’...

The global workforce

16 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tech founder Phil Libin tells us why he’s doing away with offices for good and no longer advertising jobs with a location. Plus, is China reigning i...

Ad cookies facing the crunch

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How Apple and Google’s privacy clampdown will bring upheaval to online advertising. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter David Mol...

The future of computing

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The CEO of ARM on why its new chips focus on security and artificial intelligence. Plus we hear about two exciting projects to bring quantum computing...

Why Intel will make chips for its rivals

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The tech giant says it aims to rebalance world chip supply from Asia to the US and Europe. Plus, what can President Biden do about hackers backed by R...

Uber’s u-turn on drivers

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The ride-hailing giant says it will pay UK drivers a minimum wage and other benefits. Will other gig-economy firms be forced to follow suit? Plus how ...

The $69m digital artwork

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How the boom in 'non-fungible tokens' helped one artist become a multimillionaire. Mike Winkelmann - also known as Beeple - explains why his art has s...

The new “space race” for chips

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A close look at how the latest silicon chips are made, what they’re used for, and why they represent “the new space race” at the heart of US-Chi...

Who blinked - Facebook or Australia?

26 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook and the Australian government reach a compromise over a new law requiring tech giants to pay publishers for news content. Is it a model for o...

Facebook blocks Australia’s news

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The social giant takes down news content ahead of a new law that would force it to pay media publishers. Plus, are digital vaccine certificates or pas...

Bitcoin’s energy cost

12 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The buzz around the cryptocurrency grows after Elon Musk’s Tesla reveals it has bought $1.5bn worth of Bitcoin. But what’s its impact on global en...

A tale of two ecommerce giants

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff Bezos's Amazon and Jack Ma's Alibaba report bumper profits, but both online shopping giants face challenges. Rory Cellan-Jones speaks to the BBC'...

Robert Downey Jr. on backing green tech

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Iron Man star tells us how he wants to help tackle the climate crisis. Plus, how small investors on a Reddit forum took on Wall Street and won - f...

Biden’s plan for big tech

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Will the new US President bring a new era in relations with the tech giants? Plus, as schools remain closed in many places, how online learning is hel...

Amazon gives Parler the boot

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The social platform favoured by Donald Trump supporters loses its online home after Amazon Web Services withdraws its cloud hosting. Plus, how the pan...

Facebook and Twitter block Trump

08 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Social giants act after the President praises supporters who broke into the US Congress building. Plus, how Singapore’s Covid-19 contact tracing dat...

Tech Trends for 2021

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rory Cellan-Jones and guests on how tech will shape the coming twelve months. Featuring BT innovation researcher Dr Nicola Millard, and BBC senior tec...

Tech Quiz of the Year 2020

25 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Test your knowledge of the year’s biggest tech stories with Rory Cellan-Jones and the Tech Tent team. With BBC tech reporters Chris Fox, Zoe Kleinma...

Hackers breach US government

18 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Key government agencies are among thousands of organisations believed to have been hit using compromised network software from SolarWinds. Plus Facebo...

Will Facebook be broken up?

11 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

US regulators launch lawsuits accusing the giant of buying rivals to stifle competition. Plus, does Uber’s sale of its autonomous driving division i...

Life after Covid

04 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Will a digital means of showing you’ve been immunised be the passport to living normal everyday life? Plus, what does China’s new law banning the ...

Tesla’s $500bn valuation

27 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Does the electric car pioneer’s technology justify its stock value exceeding that of the major traditional carmakers combined? Plus, will Apple’s ...

Electric cars in the fast lane

20 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The UK government says new petrol and diesel-powered cars will be banned by 2030. Will developments in battery tech deliver electric vehicles for the ...

Will Biden go after Facebook?

13 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook faces more criticism for its handling of misinformation around the US election, this time by members of Joe Biden's team. Could the next US p...

Social giants label Trump’s posts

06 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook and Twitter warn President Trump’s post-election remarks may be misleading. Plus, what a verbal battle between chatbots tells us about mach...

Senators accuse big tech of bias

30 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

US politicians clash over how social media firms will moderate content in future. Plus, how inkjet printing tech could help ramp-up Covid-19 testing a...

Election stakes for US tech

23 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What changes will a new Presidential term bring for the tech we use? Plus, how TikTok may be influential in the vote, despite paid political ads being...

iPhone 12 goes 5G

16 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Apple pushes 5G as a key selling point of its new iPhone 12. But is it useful anywhere right now? We get the view from South Korea, where 5G has been ...

US Congress slams big tech

09 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple are compared to oil barons by US lawmakers. But the firms insist they are not monopolies and they operate in a com...

A Pixel for the times

02 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Google pushes affordability and 5G for its flagship Pixel 5 mobile handset. But can it compete in a crowded middle-market? Plus, has quantum computing...

How misinformation spreads

25 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rory Cellan-Jones examines how misinformation spreads across online platforms. Plus, why Tesla’s Elon Musk is promising a $25,000 fully autonomous e...

The TikTok saga hots up

18 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After shunning Microsoft, will a deal with Oracle work? The BBC's Asia business correspondent Karishma Vaswani joins Rory Cellan-Jones and Jane Wakefi...

Berlin’s tech bounceback

11 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rory Cellan-Jones visits the German capital Berlin to see how the tech sector is faring post-lockdown. Plus how TikTok has been struggling to remove a...

Tech and working life

07 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Rory Cellan-Jones explores how tech firms are influencing the way people work and what changes might lie ahead in the months and years to come. Plus, ...

Facebook News gets bigger

28 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Should publishers welcome or fear the tech giant’s plan to expand its news feature. Plus how some women have received unwelcome advances in a game o...

Students marked down by algorithm

21 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How students in England took to the streets to challenge their exam grades. Plus, the battle between Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, and Appl...

Legal victory over facial recognition

14 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The use of facial recognition in public by a UK police force was unlawful, says the Court of Appeal. Plus how a new global policy network aims to help...

The future for TikTok in the United States

07 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why the popular video app faces being bought out or banned in the US. Chris Fox is joined by the BBC's North America technology reporter James Clayton...

Big tech facing a break-up?

31 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The leaders of Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon are grilled by US lawmakers over abuse of market power. Is more regulation or a break-up of their f...

The new AI tool creating a buzz

24 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

GPT-3 is a tool whose predecessor was dubbed “too dangerous to release”. We find out why the new version is creating a hot debate in the tech worl...

The great Twitter hack

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hackers take over accounts belonging to famous names including Joe Biden and Barack Obama after breaching Twitter’s security. Plus, the UK bans tele...

TikTok caught in US-China tussle

10 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The hit video sharing platform quits operating in Hong Kong as the US considers a ban. Plus, is the threat from “deep fakes” overblown? And has th...

Big advertisers boycott Facebook

03 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Marketers express unease about Facebook’s handling of hate speech. Plus, how Singapore is introducing wearable dongles to help log and trace people ...

Apple ditches Intel chips

26 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The tech giant tells developers future Macs will use Apple-designed chips as found in the iPad and iPhone. Plus, as shops reopen after lockdowns, how ...

Developers take on Apple over app store rules

19 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As Apple prepares for its annual developers conference (WWDC 2020), it comes under fire for what many see as anti-competitive practices. Developer Dav...

Facial recognition pulled from police

12 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft stop providing controversial facial recognition tools for law enforcement. Do they need to go further and bin the technolog...

Zuckerberg faces staff revolt

05 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook staff strike out at a decision by their boss not to moderate Donald Trump’s postings, despite Twitter having done so. How are long-running ...

Twitter tweaks Trump’s tweets

29 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

US President Donald Trump signs an order that could strip social media firms of legal protections after Twitter adds warnings to his tweets. Plus, des...

Facebook’s remote working shift

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What happens in Silicon Valley often sets a trend for the wider world. So will the tech giant’s new policy change how people at other firms work? Pl...

Fighting Covid-19 with data

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Is South Korea’s success so far in fighting the coronavirus down to data and tracing technology? Or is tech only part of the picture, and should oth...

Smarter workplaces after lockdown ends

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How tech will help to get people back to work safely. Plus, the UK’s Covid-19 contact tracking app begins trials. And how to get started making hard...

Tech firms boosted by Covid-19

01 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In contrast to many businesses, will the tech giants emerge stronger from the crisis? Plus, the Eurovision song contest is off this year but we find o...

Influencers feel the pinch

24 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How social media influencers are earning less in lockdown and rethinking what they do. Plus, is it realistic to expect technology to provide an answer...

Tech skills for the lockdown

17 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Are you using the lockdown to pick up new tech skills? We meet a family learning coding. Plus, billions of people around the world remain unconnected ...

WhatsApp and YouTube act on Covid conspiracies

10 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The social media giants take steps to remove falsehoods linking Covid-19 to 5G tech. Plus, how will China’s tech sector fare now that its cities are...

Privacy in a pandemic

03 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Should we trade some privacy to end a lock-down earlier with the help of technology? Plus, how volunteers with 3D printers are coming to the aid of co...

Hand over your virus data

27 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How much data are we all prepared to share in the battle to beat the coronavirus? Rory Cellan-Jones speaks to Milo Ho-Hsuan Hsieh, a Taiwanese journal...

Coronavirus: Can the internet cope?

20 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What impact will the coronavirus pandemic have on the infrastructure of the internet? Zoe Kleinman speaks to David Belson from the Internet Society, a...

Apps helping to track coronavirus

13 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How governments are using apps and citizens' phone data to try to contain the pandemic. Plus, the robots helping to disinfect hospital wards using ult...

YouTube and conspiracy theories

06 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Users are seeing fewer conspiracy theories in their YouTube recommendations, a new study suggests. But the material is still available on the platform...

Conspiracy theories rage online over coronavirus

28 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Is social media likely to help or hinder efforts to contain the outbreak? We hear about the lessons from past epidemics. Plus, is the tech business re...

US tells the UK to think again on Huawei 5G

24 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

America's top cyber-security official tells us that the US is still working to get Britain to change its mind and drop Huawei tech from its 5G network...