BBC technology news

Baldur's Gate 3, Lego Fortnite, and 7 other games that defined 2023 https://ift.tt/iDoklMj Despite lay-offs and the end of a gaming mainstay, 2023 was a year filled with brilliant video games.

New Year Honours 2024: Tracking tech pioneer is appointed OBE https://ift.tt/NK9xXp2 Dr Sabesan Sithamparanathan is among a host of Cambridgeshire recipients of New Year Honours.

Google settles $5bn lawsuit for 'private mode' tracking https://ift.tt/J8Qtswk Large technology firms have faced increased scrutiny of their practices in the US and beyond.

Pornhub owner to pay victims $1.8m in sex trafficking case https://ift.tt/J8Qtswk Aylo, the porn website's parent company, agreed to pay $1.8m and compensate victims after a court case.

New York Times sues Microsoft and OpenAI for 'billions' https://ift.tt/dvxn4gP The US news organisation claims millions of its articles were used without permission to train ChatGPT.

Amazon Prime Video to have ads in UK from February https://ift.tt/dvxn4gP The "limited" ads will feature in content unless people pay £2.99 a month to remove them.

Apple to appeal ban on US sales of Apple watch https://ift.tt/dvxn4gP Imports and sales of Apple's Series 9 and Ultra 2 watches have been halted over a patent dispute.

Driverless cars: Tech possible for UK motorways by 2026, transport secretary says https://ift.tt/dvxn4gP Mark Harper believes the technology, he has personally seen, will be "gradually" rolled out

High-speed train company Hyperloop One shuts down https://ift.tt/qfvXFle Based on an Elon Musk idea, with previous backing from Richard Branson, the firm will close this month.

China to increase curbs on video gaming industry https://ift.tt/qfvXFle New plans to restrict the online gaming industry in the country send shares in tech giants tumbling.

Tech Trends 2024: AI and electric vehicle deals https://ift.tt/qfvXFle From an AI slowdown to humanoid robots doing real work - tech trends to watch out for in 2024.

Lapsus$: GTA 6 hacker sentenced to life in hospital prison https://ift.tt/qfvXFle Judge says hacker remains a high risk through his skills and motivation to carry out cyber crime.

Penny Mordaunt says Boris Johnson's Covid WhatsApp messages went missing https://ift.tt/k8JKgPW MP Penny Mordaunt tells the Covid inquiry messages to Boris Johnson and Michael Gove went missing.

Social media platform X down for users globally https://ift.tt/k8JKgPW Users are unable to view posts on the social media site with a message that says"Welcome to X!"

AI cannot patent inventions, UK Supreme Court confirms https://ift.tt/k8JKgPW A technologist wanted his AI recognised as the inventor of a food container and a flashing light beacon.

Three major porn sites to face tougher EU regulation https://ift.tt/k8JKgPW Pornhub, Xvideos and Stripchat will have to comply with rules including stricter age verification.

Nasa beams cat video from deep space with laser https://ift.tt/SWuetvE The ultra HD footage of Taters the cat was sent as the agency tries to improve space communications.

Insomniac: Spider-Man 2 PlayStation studio victim of huge hack https://ift.tt/SWuetvE Details of Insomniac's upcoming Wolverine game plus employee and company data appear online.

Digital landline switch paused for vulnerable people https://ift.tt/ubReo8h UK phone providers such as BT and Virgin hold off making users upgrade after "serious incidents".

EU takes action against Elon Musk's X over disinformation https://ift.tt/ubReo8h The EU says it is launching "formal enforcement proceedings" against the social media platform.

Twitch U-turns on 'artistic nudity' policy https://ift.tt/ubReo8h Days after allowing creators to stream artistic depictions of nudity, Twitch changed its policy.

The secret sauce for Taiwan's chip superstardom https://ift.tt/ASYkcrt How an island that exported t-shirts and sugar turned into the world's largest silicon chip factory.

The Last of Us Online cancelled by developer Naughty Dog https://ift.tt/rQMPiN7 An online game based on the PlayStation hit is officially halted by developer Naughty Dog.

TikTok faces watchdog probe after supplying inaccurate information https://ift.tt/xBA40GH Ofcom had asked the viral video platform for information about its parental controls.

Twitch revamps rules on sexual content https://ift.tt/xBA40GH The Amazon-owned site, popular with gamers, says previous rules around nudity were "confusing".

Quiz: Are these images real or AI? https://ift.tt/xBA40GH Test your skills in detecting AI-generated images with Bitesize's monthly quiz.

Etsy: Online marketplace lays off 11% of staff to cut costs https://ift.tt/xBA40GH CEO Josh Silverman tells staff the cuts are needed as sales have been "essentially flat" for two years.

Facebook encryption risks children's safety, National Crime Agency warns https://ift.tt/HTntfqs Signs of abuse will be missed because of the encryption of messages, the National Crime Agency says.

Elon Musk's Tesla recalls two million cars in US over Autopilot defect https://ift.tt/HTntfqs It follows investigation into crashes which occurred when firm's Autopilot system was in use.

Netflix: Users spent 812m hours watching The Night Agent https://ift.tt/HTntfqs For the first time, the streaming giant has released global viewing data across almost its entire catalogue.

Virgin Media 'fastest wi-fi' advert banned by watchdog https://ift.tt/HTntfqs Advertising regulator tells firm to withdraw "fastest wi-fi guarantee of any major provider" advert.

E3: Once world's biggest gaming show permanently axed https://ift.tt/kTZig6m The annual video game expo struggled to stay popular after gaming giants launched their own events.

Fortnite maker Epic Games wins case against Google Play Store https://ift.tt/kTZig6m The ruling on anti-competitive practices deals a blow to a key part of Google's technology empire.

Controversial clothes hook spy cameras for sale on Amazon https://ift.tt/kTZig6m The hidden devices remain available despite being at the centre of a US case against the firm.

Google: Barbie and Shakira among most searched in 2023 https://ift.tt/S6nbJDX Barbie and Oppenheimer were the most-searched for films in 2023, and took £30m in their opening weekend.

TikTok to reopen Indonesia shop after $1.5bn deal https://ift.tt/S6nbJDX In October, TikTok Shop shut down in Indonesia to comply with new rules in South East Asia's biggest economy.

Alex Jones: Conspiracy theorist returns to X with Andrew Tate repost https://ift.tt/S6nbJDX The conspiracy theorist was banned from Twitter - now X - but its owner has now reinstated him.

Grand Theft Auto 6: Car-top twerking, flamingos in a crazy Miami https://ift.tt/KOvdr4m The Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer depicts the city's extremes - what does it tell us about US culture?

AI: EU agrees landmark deal on regulation of artificial intelligence https://ift.tt/KOvdr4m The proposed rules cover the use of AI in systems like ChatGPT and by law enforcement.

Google admits AI viral video was edited to look better https://ift.tt/TmPHU6y Instead of the AI responding to voice and video, it was fed text prompts and still images.

Microsoft's links with OpenAI to be reviewed by competition watchdog https://ift.tt/TmPHU6y The Competition and Markets Authority will consider if ties between the two could be considered a merger.

Game Awards 2023: Baldur's Gate 3 wins game of the year https://ift.tt/TmPHU6y The fantasy RPG claims Game of the Year at the ceremony dubbed the Oscars of the gaming world.

Mobile firms face £3bn claim for overcharging https://ift.tt/TmPHU6y Lawsuit alleges Vodafone, EE, Three and O2 overcharged existing customers for their mobiles.

The Game Awards 2023: How orchestra chief makes the famous medley https://ift.tt/f7HWCoQ The Game Awards' conductor talks creating a Games of the Year medley and the return of Flute Guy.

Facebook and Messenger to encrypt messages automatically https://ift.tt/f7HWCoQ UK politicians and police have opposed the move, arguing it will make it harder to spot child abuse.

Why food discount stickers may be a thing of the past https://ift.tt/f7HWCoQ Supermarkets and other retailers are increasing switching to AI-powered digital price displays.

GTA 6: Streams soar for 70s rocker Tom Petty thanks to trailer https://ift.tt/jzMAKX8 Tom Petty's B-side track Love Is A Long Road has seen a near 37,000% increase in streams on Spotify.

Confident about safety of AI: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang https://ift.tt/jzMAKX8 The president and CEO of the chipmaker to ChatGPT says the rise of AI is no cause for concern.

23andMe: Profiles of 6.9 million people hacked https://ift.tt/jzMAKX8 Hackers were able to gain access because some customers reused old passwords, biotech company 23andMe said.

Tesla whistleblower casts doubt on car safety https://ift.tt/atGBC3o A former Tesla worker turned whistleblower has spoken to the BBC's technology editor Zoe Kleinman.

Booking.com users angry at firm's response to hacks https://ift.tt/atGBC3o Customers say they have been failed and feel let down after losing hundreds of pounds to fraudsters.

Kiss to become 'immortal' thanks to Abba's avatar technology https://ift.tt/atGBC3o After playing their farewell concert, the rock stars announce they will continue as a virtual band.

Spotify to axe 1,500 workers to save costs https://ift.tt/atGBC3o The music-streaming company says it is making people redundant to "rightsize" the firm.

Could X go bankrupt under Elon Musk? https://ift.tt/ZfLWQFu Musk's profane attack on advertisers baffled experts - without adverts, how would X survive?

Digital pound plans should proceed with caution, say MPs https://ift.tt/UZhfjpH The benefits of a digital pound are unclear but the government should keep exploring it, say MPs.

GTA 6: Game to be unveiled with 5 December trailer https://ift.tt/UZhfjpH Ten years after the release of GTA 5, the next game in the series is due to be unveiled on 5 December.

Why weather in games is getting more realistic https://ift.tt/JHfIQwR Games developers are putting more effort into recreating lifelike rain, fog and wind - but why?