Tech Tent

As Apple prepares for its annual developers conference (WWDC 2020), it comes under fire for what many see as anti-competitive practices. Developer David Heinemeier Hansson of Basecamp tells us why he’s angry about Apple's rates. We get the latest in contact tracing apps from Professor Stephen Farrell of Trinity College, Dublin, who has been researching the effectiveness of Bluetooth and German journalist Anna Noryskiewicz talks about the launch of a tracing app in Germany. And we go to India to hear about the digital divide being experienced by school children with Nishant Baghel of the Pratham Education Foundation in Mumbai. Presented by Rory Cellan Jones with help from BBC Technology Reporter Zoe Kleinman. Produced by Clare Williamson. (Image: Apple's app store, screen shot. Credit:BBC)

IBM, Amazon, and Microsoft stop providing controversial facial recognition tools for law enforcement. Do they need to go further and bin the technology for other customers? Plus, how young activists are using the latest online techniques to amplify the Black Lives Matter message. And, what’s the oldest gadget you have lying around your house, and do you still use it? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Stock photo representing a facial recognition algorithm scanning an African man’s face. The tech is known to be less accurate when used to scan faces with darker skin, leading to the possibility of discrimination. Credit: Getty Images).

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 tensions between India and China affecting the way Indians see Chinese technology? And why philanthropist and Microsoft founder Bill Gates has become a target for outlandish conspiracy theories about Coronavirus. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Chris Fox. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Mark Zuckerberg talking about free expression at Georgetown University in 2019, Credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/ AFP/ Getty Images)

US President Donald Trump signs an order that could strip social media firms of legal protections after Twitter adds warnings to his tweets. Plus, despite predictions, artificial intelligence has not replaced radiologists. We find out why humans plus AI are seen as more effective in cancer screening than software alone. And will the Covid-19 pandemic give online learning a boost as schools and universities consider a “socially-distanced” future? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Donald Trump in the Oval Office as he signs an order aimed at social media companies, Credit: Jonathan Ernst/ Reuters).

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? Plus, millions of people have found extra time on their hands during lockdown. What have they been doing online during that period? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Chris Fox. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Stock photo of a woman wearing a headset working from home. Credit: Getty Images).

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 other countries seek to replicated their approach? Plus, the artificial intelligence tool that aims to make synthesized voices sound emotional. And do people still believe in the promise of technology to make life better? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Zoe Kleinman. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: A man and woman wearing face masks talk outside a bookstore in Seoul, South Korea, Credit: Getty Images).

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 hardware projects at home including an automated cocktail mixer. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Man in a suit looking at his smartphone in front of a modern building. Credit: Getty Images).

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 out about a music competition to create a Eurovision-style hit using artificial intelligence. And in another of our series on using tech during the lockdown for new skills and hobbies, we look at podcasting. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporters David Molloy and Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: A customer wearing a face mask tries out the latest iPhone SE at an Apple store in Hangzhou, China. Credit: Getty Images).

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 to ending social distancing measures? And we get some tips on producing music at home. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Stock photo of a young woman with pink dyed hair applying makeup towards the camera. Credit: Getty Images).

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 to the internet. How will this make it harder to deal with the pandemic? And, Facebook says it will alert its users when they like or share a post that contains falsehoods about Covid-19. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Chris Foxx. (Image: Stock photo of a young girl using a laptop to program small robots on the table in front of her, Credit: Getty Images).

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 emerging from lockdown. And, are drones useful in maintaining “social distancing”? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporters Cristina Criddle and David Molloy.

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 coronavirus medics needing face shields. And are computer scientists designing artificially intelligent machines in the wrong way? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill.

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 journalist who saw his phone tracked by the government after he was asked to self-isolate following a trip abroad. Jeni Tennison of the Open Data Institute says there are ways of sharing personal data more transparently and fairly, even in the midst of a pandemic. Lexi Sydow from App Annie, which monitors what apps get downloaded and where, tells us what millions of us stuck at home are doing on our phones. And one of the world’s leading AI experts Professor Stuart Russell tells us why artificial intelligence my not be about to ride to the rescue. The BBC's Jane Wakefield runs down the latest technology news.

What impact will the coronavirus pandemic have on the infrastructure of the internet? Zoe Kleinman speaks to David Belson from the Internet Society, and to Lisa Forte from Red Goat Cyber Security about the security implications for companies of having so many remote workers. Dhanaraj Thakur from the Web Foundation explains how the current health crisis exposes the billions of people who still live without internet access, while the BBC’s Kinjal Pandya Wagh in Delhi tells us how mobile phones are being used to spread information about the virus in India. The BBC’s Chris Fox rounds up the latest tech news.

How governments are using apps and citizens' phone data to try to contain the pandemic. Plus, the robots helping to disinfect hospital wards using ultraviolet light. And Steven Levy, author of the new book "Facebook - the inside story" talks to us about Mark Zuckerberg's management of the social network. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield, and special guest Ingrid Lunden from TechCrunch. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: A man wearing a facemask to protect against the COVID-19 coronavirus browses his smartphone on a Beijing street as he rides a shared bicycle. Credit: NICOLAS ASFOURI/ AFP via Getty Images).

Users are seeing fewer conspiracy theories in their YouTube recommendations, a new study suggests. But the material is still available on the platform. Plus, what Amazon knows about you if you have a Ring connected doorbell. And how Silicon Valley thinks there's money in wellness at work. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones with BBC tech reporter Zoe Kleinman, and special guest Shona Ghosh, UK tech editor at Business Insider. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: Abstract video wall representing online streaming, Credit: iStock/ Getty Images Plus).

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 reaching "peak capitalism" and is there a future for it based on values other than making money? And why people keep choosing bad passwords. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield. Produced by Jat Gill. (Image: A visitor tries to sanitise hands before being allowed into a state hospital at Yaba in Lagos, Nigeria, February 2020. Credit: PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/ AFP via Getty Images).

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 networks. Plus Apple warns of iPhone shortages ahead because of the Coronavirus. And how AI can help hospitals recruit the right nurses. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter David Molloy, and special guest Marina Koytcheva, technology market analyst at CCS Insight. Produced by Jat Gill.

The mobile industry’s biggest annual event is called off over fears of attendees spreading the infection. But Samsung, which held its own launch event this week, revealed a new attempt at a phone with a folding screen. Plus, we visit Startup Grind Global to discover the latest ideas looking for Silicon Valley investors’ money. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Chris Fox, and special guest Rachael Myrow, senior tech editor at Californian broadcaster KQED.

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-economy driver, a social entrepreneur, and the Dean of Stanford University’s Medical School to get their view. And Rachael Myrow, senior tech editor from Californian radio station KQED gives her take on whether Silicon Valley is still on top.