Daily Tech News Digest – 2026-06-16

Top tech headlines from BBC Technology, TechRadar and Ars Technica in the last 24 hours.

BBC Technology

• Five big questions about the UK's under-16s social media ban
  A ban is coming - but it's still not clear what it will mean for sites including Roblox, YouTube and WhatsApp.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:09:57 GMT
• When will social media ban start, and which apps will be affected?
  The measures will see apps including TikTok and Snapchat banned for UK teens early in 2027.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:58:25 GMT
• What is Helium-3 and could we get it from the moon?
  Helium-3 is expensive and demand is forecast to soar, so some are planning to mine it on the moon.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:11:13 GMT
• Social media ban - bold and blunt, but no silver bullet
  The BBC's technology editor Zoe Kleinman on the big changes coming down the line for young people online.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:48:25 GMT
• Under-16s will be banned from social media from early 2027
  Sites including Instagram, YouTube and TikTok will become inaccessible for millions of children, the prime minister has announced.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:10:03 GMT

TechRadar Tech

• HPE will let VMware users get a free year's license via its own tools
  HPE is offering Morpheus VM Essentials free for the first year, with a $1 migration add-on, to get customers away from VMware.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:15:00 +0000
• 'The whole Gemini migration has been a dumpster fire': Gemini calls are broken on Android Auto and users are switching back to Google Assistant
  Multiple user reports suggest Gemini calls being borked in Android Auto — here's what we know.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:07:55 +0000
• I watched a 90-minute AI movie made in just two weeks — and Hollywood can stop worrying, for now
  A 90-minute AI movie made in two weeks sounds like Hollywood's worst nightmare — until you actually sit down and watch it.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:01:32 +0000
• How will the UK's social media ban actually work? Here's the full list of affected apps — and 5 things you need to know
  The UK social media ban is one of the most significant pieces of tech legislation in the modern era — but how is it going to work?
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:53:35 +0000
• 'Survivor is absolutely Lara's past, but she is not beholden to that now' — Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis director says Lara Croft is in 'her prime' in the reimagined entry and the Survivor trilogy 'helped shape who she is'
  Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is connected to its Tomb Raider Survivor trilogy in terms of both gameplay and narrative.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:33:28 +0000
• IKEA just kicked off its huge summer sale, with up to 50% off space-saving storage, colorful decor and homeware — here are my 50 top bargains
  I combed through hundreds of deals to find these brilliant buys to brighten up your summer — from just $2.99.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:19:53 +0000
• Clarkson's Farm season 5 'took a break' from filming before final two episodes are released — and that's bad news for season 6's release date
  We've got so caught up in enjoying new episodes of Clarkson's Farm season 5 that we've completely forgotten the filming break the farm took afterwards.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:06:01 +0000
• 'Google will pay for 100% of the power it uses': Google pledges $1.5 billion to expanding Alabama data center and paying for its energy cost
  Google plans major expansion of Alabama data center campus - which could be backed up with nuclear power.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:05:00 +0000
• My favorite ‘worst camera ever' gets a Y2K makeover — meet the cutesy Kodak Charmera Millennium Edition
  The Kodak Charmera returns in a new Millennium edition, with six new colorways equipped with additional Y2K-inspired photo filters and frames, for the same low price.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:00:00 +0000
• 'The BEST ultraportable': There's a massive Apple MacBook sale on at Best Buy if you want to grab our Laptop of the Year for Father's Day
  Apple MacBooks are heavily discounted on Best Buy right now — but the sale ends soon so act fast.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:58:13 +0000
• The FBI says it’s already seized 13 drones in Atlanta near World Cup stadiums — and pilots could face fines up to $100,000 if they don’t follow these new rules
  The FBI has seized dozens of drones and cited operators near US World Cup stadiums for breaching no-fly zones. Here’s what the restrictions cover, how to check before you fly, and what to bring instead if you want footage of the festivities.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:57:50 +0000
• From finance to human trafficking: how banks can protect customers during the World Cup
  World Cup travel and spending create opportunities for fraudsters, traffickers, and financial crime networks.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:53:07 +0000
• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis experience director says 'reimagining' the 1996 game allows Crystal Dynamics to retain 'iconic' moments while still offering 'creative leeway'
  Crystal Dynamics has explained why it is treating Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis as more of a "reimagining" than a remake or remaster of the classic 1996 game.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:52:43 +0000
• Travel disruption is a productivity nightmare – AI is the game changing solution
  As travel disruptions continue, AI is becoming essential to keeping business travelers moving seamlessly.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:44:21 +0000
• ‘Not a new app, but a new way of navigating’: The Sonos app is finally getting its long-awaited improvements to volume control, player listings and content organization — and you can try it this week, if you want
  After 'hundreds of hours' studying Sonos users, the latest beta of the Sonos app will feature significant improvements to navigation, volume and more.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:40:46 +0000
• Your own private VPN server: NordVPN's new add-on hands you isolated hardware and a static IP
  NordVPN has launched a dedicated VPN server with a static IP, isolated hardware, and port forwarding, letting you reach your home network and devices from anywhere in the world.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:27:19 +0000
• Amazon and Walmart are battling it out to list the lowest price ever on the 'near-perfect' Apple AirPods Pro 3 — they've just hit $169
  The AirPods Pro 3 have just hit a record low of $169 at Walmart — I was wrong about these 'near-perfect set of noise-cancelling earbuds' getting cheaper.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:23:00 +0000
• Sick of scrounging in thrift stores for LPs or paying $40 for a new album? This pro vinyl cutter lets you make your own — but it's an absolute beast
  The Teenage Engineering APC-2 is a record cutter that lets you 'burn' audio to vinyl, but for various reasons, you won't be picking it up and carrying it home tomorrow
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:14:44 +0000
• Cost of ransomware recovery too high? Here’s how to stop footing the bill
  Why cross-team preparedness and resilience strategy are key to lowering ransomware recovery costs.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:10:05 +0000
• I can't believe Microsoft Teams is still releasing this new feature which might rat you out to your boss
  This long-delayed Microsoft Teams feature is finally being released, and could be bad news for some workers.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 10:10:00 +0000

Ars Technica Technology

• Critical Copilot vulnerability allowed hackers to seal 2FA code from users
  SearchLeak exploit shows why the industry's approach to LLM security fails over and over.
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:15:46 +0000
• Commodore’s newest gadget is a flip phone that blocks social media and browsers
  Commodore's Call Back 8020 is a phone “where the customer is not the product."
  Tue, 16 Jun 2026 09:00:51 +0000
• Key mission for Europe's commercial space enterprise scrubbed again
  Isar Aerospace is not hurting for money, but it is sorely lacking in the currency of flight experience.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 23:40:38 +0000
• Heart protection from COVID shots remains amid updates, study finds
  Despite continued benefits, anti-vaccine rhetoric has driven down vaccination.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 21:04:26 +0000
• UK to ban social media for kids under 16, may impose overnight curfews
  Critics say bans push kids to riskier alternatives and can be beaten with VPNs.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:14:04 +0000
• Chipmaker Nvidia seeks to raise over $25B in first bond deal since 2021
  Debt sale set to test investor appetite for further exposure to AI sector amid a deluge of borrowing.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 19:07:02 +0000
• A Chinese rocket breaks apart dangerously close to the Starlink constellation
  The rocket's breakup likely generated 100 to 150 new pieces of space junk.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:55:41 +0000
• Fox’s $22B Roku acquisition aims to expand its reach into smart TVs, advertising
  Fox plans to take over Roku's streaming hardware, OS, and FAST services.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:29:47 +0000
• Users cry foul after AMD stripped memory crypto from its consumer CPUs
  AMD's stripping of TSME from consumer CPUs appears to be a deliberate, covert move.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:55:46 +0000
• 20 years of Intel Macs: Why Apple switched, and why it switched again
  Remembering the ups and downs of the Intel Mac era as it finally winds down.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:32:14 +0000
• Good news—we have extra time before the Sun ends life on Earth
  Will the Sun roast Earth’s plants or starve them?
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 16:28:17 +0000
• F1 in Spain: An old-fashioned strategy fight can still be thrilling
  Armed with a ton of new upgrades, Ferrari came to Spain full of confidence.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:25:17 +0000
• Russia appears set to finally address long-term, serious space station cracks
  This has been a persistent, behind-the-scenes dispute between NASA and Roscosmos.
  Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:54:02 +0000

— Auto-generated digest