Show Notes
A New Mexico judge has fined Meta $25 billion for its handling of user data. It is the latest large legal payout for the tech firm, following an $18 billion settlement reached with California over child safety, and comes as it releases its latest financial results. Vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language have led to websites being down in several countries, including Japan, Finland and the UK. Around seven in 10 of the world's websites use PHP. Is this a new era of cyber insecurity and instability? And a BBC investigation finds that employees from Google have resigned due to the use of AI for military technologies. We hear from one former employee. (Photo: Meta logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken 18 October, 2026. Credit: Dado Ruvic/Reuters) Presenter: Luke Wilson Producer: Neil Morrow and Neggeen Sadid
More from World Business Report
In the U.S., President Trump's war in Iran has caused pain for low-income Americans. As voters go to the polls for nationwide Congressional elections, people are struggling to pay for food and fuel. The cost-of-living crisis deepens. Brazilians will be voting for a new president on Sunday in a run-off election. The current president - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - is being challenged by right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a tight race that will have consequences for the region and the world. We speak to economists in the country. Presenter: Rahul Tandon Producers: Neil Morrow & Neggeen Sadid (Photo: A person pumps gas into their car at the 76 gas station at the corner of Roscoe Boulevard and Woodman Avenue in Los Angeles, California, USA, 04 September 2026. Credit: EPA/Shutterstock / Chris Torres)
Technology stocks face renewed pressure across US and Asian markets as investors grow increasingly concerned about the huge sums being poured into artificial intelligence. Luke Wilson examines what's driving the uncertainty. Also, Greece becomes the latest country to introduce a social media ban for children. And Volvo announces 2,000 job cuts after reporting a quarterly loss of more than $560 million.
For the second day, many websites around the world — including those of government agencies and banks — are down. These are due to vulnerabilities in PHP — a programming language that much of the internet relies on. One government cyber security official in Finland tells us how his government is preparing for cyber-attacks. We go to Virginia to speak to a housing realtor about the housing market. Have interest rates made home ownership unaffordable? And we ask the co-founder of France's first literary AI prize if it sets a dangerous precedent for authors. Presenter: Leanne Byrne Producers: Neil Morrow & Neggeen Sadid (Photo: "Cyber Attack" phrase and PHP code appears in this illustration taken October 22, 2026. Credit: REUTERS / Dado Ruvic / Illustration)
Millions of hacking attempts have been detected after a major security flaw was discovered in PHP. We hear from the cybersecurity firm behind the discovery and a business whose website remains offline. Also, Electronic Arts shuts down BioWare after 31 years, cutting 400 jobs. And Airbnb is banning lengthy checkout chores for guests. Presenter: Luke Wilson Producer: Bisi Adebayo
A New Mexico judge has fined Meta for its handling of user data. It's the latest large legal payout for the tech firm, following an $18 billion settlement reached with California over child safety, and comes as it releases its latest financial results. Vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language have led to websites being down in several countries, including Japan, Finland and the UK. Around seven in 10 of the world's websites use PHP. Is this a new era of cyber insecurity and instability? And a BBC investigation finds that employees from Google have resigned due to the use of AI for military technologies. We hear from one former employee. Presenter: Luke Wilson Producers: Neil Morrow & Neggeen Sadid (Photo: Meta logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. Credit: REUTERS / Dado Ruvic)