Tech Life
Episodes
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...
Coronavirus stops MWC tech show
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The mobile industry’s biggest annual event is called off over fears of attendees spreading the infection. But Samsung, which held its own launch eve...
Is Silicon Valley still top for tech?
07 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rory Cellan-Jones asks whether California is still the best home for tech startups. He speaks to a video games executive, a venture capitalist, a gig-...
UK gives Huawei the OK
31 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Chinese tech giant will be allowed a limited role in Britain's 5G telecoms network. Plus, how Estonia wants to lure British tech talent after "Bre...
Tech's battle for the classroom
24 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jane Wakefield checks out the latest educational tech at the Bett 2020 show in London and talks to Apple and Google about how they think technology ca...
Microsoft vows to go 'carbon negative'
17 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The tech giant behind Windows and Office promises to remove all the carbon it has emitted since it was founded in 1975. Plus, is tracking for digital ...
CES 2020
10 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Zoe Kleinman, Chris Fox, and Cody Godwin report from the giant annual CES event in Las Vegas on the latest tech that you might soon be buying. Zoe tak...
Tech to watch in 2020
03 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Rory Cellan-Jones and special guests look ahead to the technology trends they expect to see in 2020 and discuss ideas for a better internet in the com...
Taking stock of tech
27 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Rory Cellan-Jones and the BBC Online tech team give their assessment of the current state of tech in several important areas. They’ll be looking at ...
Tech quiz of the year 2019
20 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How well do you know your tech? We test Chris Fox, Zoe Kleinman, Dave Lee and Jane Wakefield’s knowledge of the top technology stories of 2019. And ...
YouTube's plan to stop harassment
13 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The video-sharing giant will block clips that "maliciously insult someone" based on race, gender identity or sexuality. Plus, what does the British ge...
China pushes facial recognition
06 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mobile phone buyers in China are made to provide facial recognition data when they get a new plan. But are Chinese citizens comfortable with the rapid...
TikTok restores teen's viral video
29 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Chinese-owned platform is forced to back down after removing a US teenager's viral video highlighting China's treatment of Uighur Muslims. Plus, w...
Ford Mustang goes electric
22 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Does an electric model of the iconic muscle-car signal the future for the motor industry? Plus, the founder of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales tells us why he t...
Facebook battles harmful posts
15 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
New figures suggest the tech giant is removing a growing amount of banned content. Is Facebook getting better at finding it or is it losing control of...
Can Ireland reshape big tech?
08 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner could change the way big tech firms operate. Plus why Dublin is a favoured place for startups. And econom...
The power of online political ads
01 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why is Twitter banning political ads when Facebook insists it will keep on carrying them? Plus, some tech products aimed at women have been called "fe...
Indian call centre scam shut down
25 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We follow Indian cyber police in the city of Kolkata as they raid a call centre suspected of scamming people in the US and UK. Plus, Facebook's Mark Z...
Google Pixel 4 boasts radar
18 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The latest handset from Google introduces a new way to control a phone without touching it. Is it actually useful, or an interesting gimmick? And the ...
US and China battle over tech
11 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In a week of rising tension between US and China over trade we hear how some of China's biggest tech firms are caught in the cross-fire. And Rory Cel...
The rise and rise of TikTok
04 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why the Chinese video-sharing app seems to have Facebook worried. Plus, a leading AI researcher in Ghana tells us why algorithms used in Africa but tr...
Amazon reveals Alexa glasses
27 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The tech giant takes its Alexa smart assistant out of the home. Plus, are neural interfaces the next big thing in how we control computers? And, the F...
Has gig-working had its day?
13 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
California gave birth to the "gig economy" - working for app-driven services such as ride-hailing and food-delivery. But now the state has drafted a l...
Who cares about facial recognition?
06 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Two new surveys suggest cautious public attitudes in the US and UK towards the tech. Plus, the autumn mobile device launch season is upon us. We check...
Tech's trade war
30 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Is the trade dispute between the US and China hurting both nations' tech industry? Artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G telecoms are key sectors in whi...
What Facebook knows about you
23 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The social giant will reveal what it knows about your internet activity off of its platform. Will its users appreciate the transparency or be horrifie...
Are you being watched?
16 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How privately-operated facial recognition in public places threatens privacy, according to campaigners. Plus, why is the shared-office firm WeWork val...
8chan searches for new home
09 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Key service providers kick the controversial message board, which has been used to celebrate mass shootings, off the mainstream internet. In what form...
New rules for robots
02 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Should a robot be allowed to react if it is attacked by a person? A new blueprint for robot makers aims to set out how machines should behave. Plus th...
Facebook's five billion dollar bill
26 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The social network reaches a record settlement with regulators over users' data privacy. Will it change how Facebook operates? Plus, is opposition to ...
Celebrating games
19 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
How Dundee in Scotland gave birth to Grand Theft Auto and has remained a hub of games design ever since. We visit the V&A design museum’s exhibi...
Alexa dispenses medical advice
12 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Are privacy fears over Alexa's new ability to offer medical advice from the UK's National Health Service justified? Plus, how super-car maker Aston Ma...
Jony Ive quits Apple
28 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The man behind the design of the iPhone and iMac, Sir Jony Ive, leaves Apple to set up his own business. We assess his impact on the design of tech pr...
Deepfake or art: who decides?
14 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Rory Cellan-Jones talks to the artist who has created a "deepfake" Mark Zuckerberg to put Facebook on the spot over privacy. Also in the programme, R...