

Tech Life
BBC World Service
Tech Life discovers and explains the ways technology is changing our lives, wherever we are in the world. We meet the people with bright ideas for rethinking the way we work, learn and play, and get hands-on with the products they dream up. We hold tech giants to account for their huge power to affect our lives, and ask who wins, and who loses, in the technology transformation. Tech Life is your guide to a future being made, and remade, at lightning speed in front of our eyes.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 29, 2019 • 24min
TikTok restores teen's viral video
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, we chat to Kenyan startup Kwara, which is trying to stop people without access to bank lending falling into the hands of loan sharks. And the charity Scope reveals that many websites and apps remain inaccessible to people with disabilities. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC Online tech correspondent Mark Ward, and special guest Alison Griswold, tech reporter at Quartz.(Image: US teenager Feroza Aziz whose viral video was removed and then reinstated by TikTok, Credit: BBC).

Nov 22, 2019 • 23min
Ford Mustang goes electric
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 thinks his new social network can lure people away from Facebook and Twitter. And the head of Google Cloud AI talks to us about solving the "black box" problem. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Chris Fox, and special guest Kate Bevan, the editor of Which? Computing.(Image: The unveiling of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Credit: EPA/ RINGO CHIU).

Nov 15, 2019 • 23min
Facebook battles harmful posts
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 the problem? Plus, we chat to Eben Upton, creator of the Raspberry Pi, who has been given a Lovie lifetime achievement award for the affordable computer's success. And Damian Bradfield, author of "The Trust Manifesto", tells us why he thinks trust between tech firms and their users has broken down. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Zoe Kleinman and special guest Jeni Tennison from the Open Data Institute.(Image: Stock photo of a teenager looking disturbed at something on her smartphone, Credit: iStock/ Getty Images Plus).

Nov 8, 2019 • 24min
Can Ireland reshape big tech?
How Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner could change the way big tech firms operate. Plus why Dublin is a favoured place for startups. And economists and comedians gather in the city of Kilkenny for the tenth annual Kilkenomics festival where cryptocurrency is one of the topics on the agenda. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield and special guests Peter Antonioni from UCL and the journalist Jamie Bartlett, presenter of the hit podcast “The Missing Cryptoqueen”.(Image: Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon outside her office in Dublin, Credit: Rory Cellan-Jones/ BBC).

Nov 1, 2019 • 25min
The power of online political ads
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 "femtech". Does the label help or hinder inclusivity? DeepMind's AlphaStar artificial intelligence has reached the top league of one of the most popular esport video games Starcraft 2. We talk to a top player of the game who has competed against it. And why the co-founder of Netflix is not worried by Apple's new streaming TV service. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC North America tech reporter Dave Lee, and special guest Debbie Forster, co-founder of the Tech Talent Charter and member of the Institute of Coding's diversity board.(Image: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg leaving a meeting with Irish politicians to discuss social media and transparency in political advertising, Credit: Getty Images).

Oct 25, 2019 • 23min
Indian call centre scam shut down
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 Zuckerberg defends the Libra digital currency project. And how robots could help more patients in India's hospitals receive the surgery they need. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC reporter Szu Ping Chan, and special guest Izabella Kaminska from the Financial Times.(Image: Stock photo of a man entering banking details into his computer, Credit: iStock/ Getty Images Plus).

Oct 18, 2019 • 23min
Google Pixel 4 boasts radar
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 company's hardware chief Rick Osterloh tells us why he would warn a house-guest about the presence of smart devices. Plus, Nir Eyal, author of the new book "Indistractable" shares his strategies to help us all be less distracted by our gadgets. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield, and special guest Charlotte Gee from the MIT Technology Review.(Image: The new Google Pixel 4 smartphone displayed during a Google launch event in New York City, Credit: REUTERS/ Eduardo Munoz).

Oct 11, 2019 • 23min
US and China battle over tech
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 Cellan-Jones asks why Apple has decided to take down a Hong Kong mapping app? As Ada Lovelace Day spreads around the world to celebrate women in science and tech, the BBC's Zoe Kleinman asks its founder whether conditions have actually improved since the movement was first launched a decade ago? And Rory asks UNICEF why it is getting into the controversial world of cryptocurrency? Rory is joined by technology writer Jamillah Knowles and by Mark Ward from the BBC tech desk(Picture:A woman holds her mobile phone as a group of masked protesters run past in the Diamond Hill station in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong on October 7, 2019. CREDIT: PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images)

Oct 4, 2019 • 24min
The rise and rise of TikTok
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 trained on data from elsewhere could make biased decisions. And how a common definition of online abuse could help to tackle it more effectively. Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Jane Wakefield, and special guest Parmy Olson, tech reporter from the Wall Street Journal.(Image: Stock photo of a woman on a beach making a smartphone video with her dog, Credit: iStock/ Getty Images Plus).

Sep 27, 2019 • 23min
Amazon reveals Alexa glasses
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 Facebook-backed Libra digital currency has met with opposition from governments. Can the project get back on track? Presented by Rory Cellan-Jones, with BBC tech reporter Chris Fox, and special guest, Caroline Carruthers, business author and data consultant.(Image: Eyeglass frames with voice-activated digital assistant Alexa at Amazon's headquarters in Seattle, Credit: Glenn Chapman/ AFP/ Getty Images).


