Daily Tech News Digest – 2026-10-20

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

BBC Technology

• UK asks Apple to widen access to its payment tech
  Proposed changes could lead to new digital wallets and keys as well as ticketing apps, the regulator says.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:29:24 GMT
• Google Cloud says 'power event' behind outage hitting UK banks and websites
  It has since been linked to a number of services, most notably British neobank Revolut, going down for customers or suffering problems on Tuesday morning.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:09:25 GMT
• Ex-OpenAI worker accused of planting bug had Saudi support, claims prosecutors
  Abdulrahman Alfozan, who is accused of planting a recording device, has been denied bail.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 21:12:30 GMT
• US bans China's DeepSeek from government in race for AI dominance
  The Chinese technology is removed from most US government agencies as race for AI dominance steps up.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 18:21:54 GMT
• Uber wins bid to throw out £200m black cab claims
  Claims that Uber misled TfL over its licence were thrown out because they were brought too late.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:58:39 GMT

TechRadar Tech

• “Nothing has to be”: New York mayor Zohran Mamdani tells citizens to fight back against the AI doom and gloom
  AI is being pushed into products, schools, and the military without enough consideration of the consequences.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:05:00 +0000
• This Google Messages location sharing upgrade would make it worth using
  Google Messages looks to be getting more location sharing options — though we don't know when they'll turn up.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:52:24 +0000
• Garmin's Connect IQ store gets an 'enormous influx' of submissions, and it's likely down to AI slop
  Garmin has a Connect IQ problem as an 'enormous influx' of apps and watch faces hit the store.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:48:27 +0000
• Microsoft admits 'frontier models can't be trusted', unveils new security tools to treat AI agents as insider threats
  Say hi to your new Guardian Agent, keeping you safe from Agentic Insiders.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:44:39 +0000
• The Ryzen 7 Getorli GT106 with 16GB of DDR5 is the best mini PC under $450
  Getorli GT106 is a strong contender for the best mini PC under $500, packing Ryzen 7 performance, Radeon 780M graphics, and DDR5 RAM.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:44:03 +0000
• Rockstar artists have been working on GTA 6 for 11 years to plan out the map, co-head says roads are narrower than GTA 5's, which had a 'ripple effect' as the studio had to add even more buildings — 'All these things sort of come to bite you later'
  Rockstar Games has reportedly been working on Grand Theft Auto 6 much longer than realized, since the studio needed to plan out the game's ambitious map first.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:27:41 +0000
• Dell’s Pro Max Tower T2 workstation costs less than the Nvidia Blackwell GPU inside it
  The Dell Pro Max T2 scored 4.5 stars in our tests. Now you can configure it with an Nvidia RTX Pro Blackwell 6000 that's cheaper than buying the GPU on its own.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:27:12 +0000
• Windows 11 users are again having to suffer an odd Bing Wallpaper 'feature'
  2026 is the year of fixing Windows 11, but Microsoft also needs to fix its marketing department and the excessive promos therein.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:20:58 +0000
• CES Picks 2027 Awards - entries open now!
  Enter now for early bird pricing for the 2027 CES Picks Awards.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:00:00 +0000
• How to watch Just One Before I Die on Tubi (it's free)
  Follow die-hard Bills fans in their search for just one championship– here's where to watch it free, plus all the release date, streaming info and trailer.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 10:17:48 +0000
• UK schools caught in a 'learning technology balance gap' as kids demand more tech in the classroom
  Schools have been investing heavily in digital tools for the classroom – they now have too many screens and not enough use cases.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 10:01:32 +0000
• The transformation trap: Why organizations are trying to change too much, too fast
  The transformation trap: Why organizations are trying to change too much, too fast
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:43:06 +0000
• Google Cloud down — 'power event' causes major outage across Europe, big brands, banking apps and more all hit
  Google Cloud is currently having issues across Europe, affecting multiple other sites.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:36:16 +0000
• Revolut and Lloyds Bank are down for many —here's all the latest on the outage
  Thousands of Revolut and Lloyds Bank customers are reporting issues with their online banking services —here's all the latest on the outage, which Revolut has now confirmed.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:23:40 +0000
• Companies are spending nearly a third of IT budgets on software upgrades
  Software isn't just about a one-time purchase or an ongoing subscription – frequent updates are costing money and time.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:21:13 +0000
• NordVPN patches "clumsy" Windows bug that let attackers disable system services
  NordVPN has rolled out a fix for a Windows app vulnerability (CVE-2026-106030) that allowed local attackers to interfere with system services. Update to version 8.12 now to stay secure.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:11:25 +0000
• After more than a week of living and breathing Nvidia’s RTX Spark chip, I’m impressed by how much AI, creative and gaming power it packs into such a tiny space
  Here's everything the brand new Nvidia RTX Spark chipset can do for your creative work, gaming and AI workflow.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 09:06:10 +0000
• When the model takes away the moat
  The ability to train an AI model should be fully democratized.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:58:44 +0000
• Why AI is upending traditional technology pricing
  AI is breaking the link between effort, cost and value that technology services have relied on for decades.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:42:30 +0000
• How to watch NBA 2026/27: Free Streams & TV Channels
  All the ways to watch NBA 2026/27 online from anywhere, including free streams and international TV channels for the regular season and playoffs.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 08:11:28 +0000

Ars Technica Technology

• Visiting Slate’s first showroom as its $25,000 electric truck nears production
  Slate's first showroom sells the promise. Mass production will determine the rest.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 11:00:16 +0000
• Japan launches mission to bring home a piece of the Martian moon Phobos
  The climax for MMX will come in 2029, when the spacecraft will attempt up to two landings on Phobos.
  Tue, 20 Oct 2026 05:59:56 +0000
• Pennsylvania issues alert on congenital measles—something US hasn't seen for decades
  Congenital measles can be fatal, and survivors require monitoring for years.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 22:44:26 +0000
• Russian spacecraft maneuvers in "extreme proximity" to satellite used by Ukraine
  "Kosmos 2612 closed from hundreds of kilometers away to extreme proximity to ICEYE-X36."
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 20:54:17 +0000
• Accused OpenAI spy had folder called “Saudi Gov Docs,” FBI says
  US fears Saudi government will help ex-OpenAI engineer flee spying charges.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 20:21:53 +0000
• Batteries help reduce emissions, but how do we reduce their emissions?
  One way to make batteries cleaner is to make fewer of them.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 20:03:55 +0000
• PSA: Patch your Plex media server before someone hacks it
  A researcher says attacks chaining 4 vulnerabilities is hacking unpatched boxes.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:39:19 +0000
• Startup taps underwater volcano as energy source in "proof point" test
  Can undersea geothermal power help Pacific Rim nations cut down on oil imports?
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:27:24 +0000
• ReactOS reaches major milestone with NTFS install support
  ReactOS gains NTFS install support with new driver.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 18:30:56 +0000
• AI game clones are making indie developers afraid to show their work
  Delayed Steam Next Fest demo is a sign of a growing problem for indie devs.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 16:59:22 +0000
• Florida DMV hacked after police dept insecurely stored login info
  Florida issues alerts after statewide DMV data breach linked to ShinyHunters.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 16:38:13 +0000
• Disney found a way to buy Character.AI without buying its lawsuits
  Character.AI faces claims its bots encouraged minors to self-harm and kill their parents.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 14:45:43 +0000
• A Chinese rocket deorbited over Minnesota and left this in a farmer's cornfield
  All the evidence points to the debris being part of a Chinese Zhuque-2E rocket.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 14:35:01 +0000
• Review: Lanterns is a truly unique twist on the superhero genre
  Gritty HBO series is a beacon for what's possible when one is allowed to get creative with the tropes.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:31:08 +0000
• DIY VR: How to build your own headset, and why you probably won't want to
  A primer on the joys and pains of building your own head-mounted display.
  Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:33:34 +0000

— Auto-generated digest