Tech Tent

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 export of goods deemed important for national security mean for Western tech giants? And we attend Web Summit - virtually - to consider whether the future of giant conferences is online. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: A health worker processes a sample for a Covid test in New Delhi, India. Credit: EPA/ RAJAT GUPTA).

Does the electric car pioneer’s technology justify its stock value exceeding that of the major traditional carmakers combined? Plus, will Apple’s new M1 silicon chips end the decades-long dominance of Intel and Microsoft in computing? And have you received an Amazon delivery you didn’t order? We find out what’s going on. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones with BBC tech reporter Zoe Kleinman. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: Tesla Model 3 cars at the company’s Shanghai factory, Credit: REUTERS/ Aly Song/ File Photo).

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 mass-market? Plus how Kenya is looking to wind energy to bring cleaner power to off-grid communities. And has the pandemic permanently changed how we look at screen-time? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: Electric Mini Cooper charging on a central London street, Credit: BBC).

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 president lead a crackdown on the social media giant? We speak to Siva Vaidhyanathan, professor of media studies at the University of Virginia and author of Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy. Also on the show: Apple launches a range of new laptops, but it's the chips inside them that are causing a stir. We ask Raspberry Pi creator Eben Upton if it's the end of the road for endlessly faster processors. Plus Hyperloop makes some headlines with a high-speed test in the desert, but is it really going to revolutionise transport systems around the world? Railway engineer and writer Gareth Dennis has his say. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones with BBC tech reporter Zoe Kleinman.(Photo: Cutouts of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg outside the US Capitol, Credit: Getty Images)

Facebook and Twitter warn President Trump’s post-election remarks may be misleading. Plus, what a verbal battle between chatbots tells us about machine learning. And the plan to beam 5G connectivity from hydrogen-powered drones. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC reporters Jane Wakefield and Marianna Spring. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters about the 2020 presidential election at the White House in Washington DC, Credit: Carlos Barria/ Reuters).

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 and research. And a solar-powered solution to a shortage of medical oxygen in developing countries. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporters James Clayton, Leo Kelion, and Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey testifies remotely to the US Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Credit: EPA/ Greg Nash/ POOL).

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 banned. And what the social platforms are doing to try to stem disinformation ahead of polling day. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC reporters James Clayton, Sophia Smith Galer, and Marianna Spring. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: Combination of images showing Donald Trump and Joe Biden at the first Presidential debate, Credit: Jim Watson/ Saul Loeb/ AFP/ Getty Images).

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 available for 18 months, and from Ghana where the previous 4G network is just rolling out. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: Illustration of the iPhone 12, Credit: Apple/ EPA).

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 competitive market. Plus, Facebook takes further action to ban content relating to the QAnon conspiracy theory across its platforms. And the opportunities for women whose jobs have been hit by the pandemic to retrain as programmers. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Chris Fox. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: Congresswoman Val Demings, (D-FL), questions tech leaders during a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law on "Online Platforms and Market Power", Credit: Graeme Jennings/Pool via REUTERS).

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 reached a point at which it is genuinely useful for businesses? And the push-back against China-led plans to replace the internet’s underlying protocols. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: Press photo of a woman using the Pixel 5 smartphone, Credit: Google).

Rory Cellan-Jones examines how misinformation spreads across online platforms. Plus, why Tesla’s Elon Musk is promising a $25,000 fully autonomous electric car. And former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, co-chair of Facebook’s new oversight board, on how the body will handle controversies relating to the US election. With BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: Anti coronavirus-lockdown protest in Trafalgar Square, London, August 2020. Credit: Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images).

After shunning Microsoft, will a deal with Oracle work? The BBC's Asia business correspondent Karishma Vaswani joins Rory Cellan-Jones and Jane Wakefield in the tent to discuss what the US and China want out of a deal for TikTok. Plus: An earthquake in the computer chip industry - why selling chip designer Arm to US firm Nvidia is proving controversial. And as Facebook launches a new VR headset and PlayStation and Xbox go head to head, what is the future of gaming? Keza MacDonald, the Guardian's video games editor, discusses.(Photo: TikTok logo displayed on a phone screen, Credit: Getty Images)

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 disturbing suicide video. And we discover the games tech being used to create virtual art galleries. With BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: An employee wearing a face mask sets up smartphones at the IFA tech fair in Berlin, Sept 2020. Credit: Michele Tantussi/ Reuters).

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, why has the internet evolved as it has and is it too late to reclaim it from big tech firms for the common good? And, has the Covid-19 pandemic boosted the gig-economy? With BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: An employee working at an Amazon fulfilment centre in India, Credit: REUTERS/ Abhishek N. Chinnappa/ File Photo).

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 of Scrabble. And why Britain’s Second World War codebreaking centre Bletchley Park, one of the most important sites in computing history and now a museum, faces a funding crisis. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Zoe Kleinman. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: Stock photo of a man riding on public transport holding up and looking closely at his smartphone, Credit: Nico De Pasquale Photography/ Getty Images).

How students in England took to the streets to challenge their exam grades. Plus, the battle between Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite, and Apple moves up a level. And we ask a commercial pilot how the latest Microsoft Flight Simulator compares to real flying. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporters Jane Wakefield and David Molloy. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: A-Level students protest outside 10 Downing St. in London over their automated exam grades, Credit: EPA).

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 reign in the power of big technology firms. And China’s Xinhua dictionary gains a raft of tech terms. Presented by Zoe Kleinman, with BBC reporter David Molloy. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: Stock photo of a British police officer standing in front of a crowd. Credit: Getty Images).

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 to discuss the history of the app and why Donald Trump appears determined to ban it. Alex Stamos, former chief security officer at Facebook, discusses whether TikTok is really a security concern. Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, explains why banning an app is tough to do. Vishal Shah from Instagram touts his TikTok alternative 'Reels' - one of the platforms hoping to attract TikTok users.(Photo: TikTok logo, Credit: Getty Images)

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 firms on the cards? Plus, Garmin is the latest high-profile victim of a cyberattack. And we meet the woman responsible for Google’s undersea cables. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC North America tech reporter James Clayton. Produced by Jat Gill.

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 world. Plus, why a popular mobile game in China has been pulled because of some morse code in a song. And many people have had to get used to videoconferencing during the past few months. Are meetings in virtual reality the next step? Please note that since this episode was recorded the Congressional hearing mentioned in the show has been postponed. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.(Image: Stock image representing a human brain against a tech-related background, Credit: Getty Images).