BBC technology news

Samsung accused of obstructing Fortnite downloads https://ift.tt/CUodjaw The game maker says actions taken by Samsung's Auto Blocker feature go against competition laws.

The debate: Should smartphones be banned for under 16s? https://ift.tt/oNOQvg6 How much are smartphones harming children and what should we do about it? BBC InDepth hosts a debate between a campaigner and an academic.

California governor blocks landmark AI safety bill https://ift.tt/KjQ3S5k The legislation would have imposed some of the first regulations on artificial intelligence in the US.

'Everybody wants to be in': How songs are chosen for EA FC https://ift.tt/H6kcoCi Steve Schnur explains how he chooses which songs get selected for the massive football game's soundtrack.

Microsoft re-launches ‘privacy nightmare’ AI screenshot tool https://ift.tt/ldi2hZq It says it has listened to concerns about the tool, which continuously screenshots online activity.

Facebook parent company fined €91m over password storage https://ift.tt/oZYmFN2 An inquiry was launched in April 2019 by the Irish Data Protection Commission.

They were arrested for posting during the riots – will it change anything? https://ift.tt/EG12Ryh Charges following disorder felt significant, but for social media giants there was no day of reckoning.

Assassin's Creed Shadows release date delayed to 2025 https://ift.tt/RfJiTsa The highly-anticipated game's launch has been pushed back from November to 14 February 2025.

James McAvoy and Tom Brady fall for 'Goodbye Meta AI' hoax https://ift.tt/Zp6VEhO More than 600,000 people have shared a message falsely denying Meta the right to use their images to train AI.

Terminator creator James Cameron joins board of AI company https://ift.tt/9cI6Xhu His role at Stable Diffusion creator StabilityAI will focus on AI's use in special effects.

Will the US presidential election define the future of crypto? https://ift.tt/N4I6dgS Crypto currency firms are waiting to see how November's vote will impact upon them.

CrowdStrike boss apologises for global IT outage https://ift.tt/X0aJzkE Adam Meyers, a senior vice president with the IT firm at the heart of July's mass outage, faced a grilling by US lawmakers.

Sharp rise in problematic teenage social media use, study says https://ift.tt/vxBcKOV The report says a "continuously online" generation needs more help to live healthy digital lives.

TSB customers hit by payment problems https://ift.tt/dL8NUiO Many say they have not received their child benefit, while others have not received their salaries.

Telegram will now provide some user data to authorities https://ift.tt/Mgxf5yH CEO Pavel Durov said the change should "discourage criminals" who have given Telegram a bad image.

CrowdStrike: Company to face questions over global IT outage https://ift.tt/pgcPe86 Cancer delays, holidays ruined, businesses out of pocket - the CrowdStrike outage examined.

A Tamagotchi comeback? Toy gets first UK store as global sales double https://ift.tt/0iEBSL7 The egg-shaped toy which housed a virtual pet was one of the biggest crazes of the 90s.

LinkedIn suspends AI training using UK user data https://ift.tt/UWrh8GH The UK's data watchdog said it raised concerns over LinkedIn's approach to using UK data to train AI.

Sky Glass owners complain as TVs won't turn on https://ift.tt/7BlpwED The company has apologised to Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers encountering issues.

Taiwan says it did not make Hezbollah pager parts https://ift.tt/2M9bcCd The comments come after Taiwanese firm Gold Apollo said it did not make the devices used in the attack.

'Hunger Games' studio Lionsgate announce AI video deal https://ift.tt/b3Q2W9R The entertainment giants will allow an AI model to train using its film and TV archives.

What's the point of buying the latest smartphone? https://ift.tt/r54iejP It is the time of year when new handsets are unveiled, but they may offer only small improvements.

Musk's X back up and running in Brazil https://ift.tt/3CySxFc The social media platform X, formerly Twitter, was banned in the country on 31 August.

MrBeast and Amazon named in lawsuit over Beast Games https://ift.tt/vDhwWVQ The Amazon series offered 1,000 participants the chance to win a cash prize of $5m.

Google wins legal challenge against 1.49bn euro fine https://ift.tt/EW2dKHu The firm is under pressure worldwide over the dominance of its search and ad-tech businesses.

The Plucky Squire: From Pokémon to a page-turning indie hit https://ift.tt/ZY4inhv How a former Pokémon art director launched a studio and made one of the year's most anticipated games.

Instagram gives parents more control over teen accounts https://ift.tt/FCLNA0J Meta says parents will be able to "guide" a safer experience - critics say the firm itself should do more.

Russian state media networks banned by Facebook owner https://ift.tt/n0g4XIa Russian state media outlets have come under increased scrutiny in Western countries.

Secret Service 'aware' of Elon Musk post about Harris, Biden https://ift.tt/kuTgxMG Musk has deleted the post about assassination attempts on Biden and Harris and said it was a joke.

TikTok to begin appeal against being sold or banned in US https://ift.tt/baITxvg The US government wants TikTok sold or divested because it says it is a threat to national security.

Women in tech groups 'can’t run on inspiration alone' https://ift.tt/j1cQhUa Groups supporting women in science, technology, engineering and maths are struggling for funds.

Cristiano Ronaldo hits 1bn social media followers https://ift.tt/pv2crdG The huge figure makes the footballer easily the most followed celebrity on the planet.

Boy arrested over London transport cyber hack https://ift.tt/NLGuH57 The teenager was arrested on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences and has since been bailed.

Microsoft lays off more gaming staff in new cuts https://ift.tt/OHmyIzq The Xbox owner announces 650 jobs will go after cutting almost 2,000 earlier this year.

Data centres as vital as NHS and power grid, government says https://ift.tt/a9efsnA Critical national infrastructure status means they will get extra government support during emergencies.

Sony reveals much more expensive and powerful PlayStation 5 Pro https://ift.tt/RAn6Bku UK gamers will have to shell out £699.99 when the upgraded console launches on 7 November.

Apple told to pay back €13bn in tax by EU https://ift.tt/p9dLs8S The European Court of Justice upheld a 2016 decision that said Apple received unlawful aid from Ireland.

Could powerful lasers unlock cheap fusion power? https://ift.tt/ZPElBHI A Denver-based start-up plans to use powerful lasers to spark a fusion reactor.

Apple banks on AI to boost sales of its new iPhone https://ift.tt/H4KGlPe The firm says its new handset has been built for artificial intelligence as it looks to regain its edge.

Google's lucrative ad tech business goes on trial https://ift.tt/G2i35Ys Regulators have successfully argued Google is too powerful in search - now they are coming for its ad tech.

Thieves snatched his phone in London - it was in China a month later https://ift.tt/noAQV9m Akara tells the BBC about the journey his phone took after it was snatched from his hands by thieves.

Astro Bot: Could the old-school hit reshape PS5's future? https://ift.tt/gmbEreR In a world of endless online games and open-world slogs, could a little robot show what gamers really want?

Man accused of using bots and AI to earn streaming revenue https://ift.tt/xRTVP8I Prosecutors in the US say he fraudulently earned millions of dollars through billions of streams.

Telegram CEO Durov says his arrest 'misguided' https://ift.tt/cEH3gq1 Pavel Durov has hit back at French authorities following his arrest in Paris last week.

Trump says Musk could head 'government efficiency' force https://ift.tt/PWLOXHn In a speech at an economic club Thursday, the former president endorsed the Tesla boss's idea for a task force on government spending

YouTube restricts teenager access to fitness videos https://ift.tt/jONDLvR The platform says it is acting on concerns about teens being over-exposed to "idealised" body types.

Volvo gives up plan to sell only EVs by 2030 https://ift.tt/lb7VLyk The car maker's decision comes as industry faces slowing demand in some major markets for electric vehicles.

AI's solution to the 'cocktail party problem' used in court https://ift.tt/MAFeTPV The technology has been used to filter out background voices in audio evidence in a US murder case.

Markets slide as Nvidia shares plunge almost 10% https://ift.tt/yC7lw5u Stocks drop as disappointing US economic data dampened investor optimism about the AI boom.

Phone companies asked to help tackle rise in thefts https://ift.tt/1ECi3RB Some 78,000 people had their phone or bag snatched last year, more than double the previous year.

Inside the deepfake porn crisis engulfing Korean schools https://ift.tt/loVPeYO The crisis engulfing more than 500 schools and universities involves many underage victims.

'It stains your brain': How social media algorithms show violence to boys https://ift.tt/Zuw0xsr An insider tells the BBC why teenage boys are being targeted with extreme content.

'A tech firm stole our voices - then cloned and sold them' https://ift.tt/wezjTdB A voice over artist found out his voice had been taken when he heard a chatbot on a podcast using it.

Top Brazil court to vote on decision to ban Musk's X https://ift.tt/E6oKLRc Justice Alexandre Moraes has called on the court to vote on whether or not to uphold the suspension.