and for humanitarian aid to be allowed to reach the vulnerable. the royal air force is 100 years old today. events are being held across the country to mark the time when the raf became the world's first independent air force. now on bbc news, it's time for click. a lot has happened on facebook since you last logged in — and that's an understatement. it's the week the world got a wake—up call. the row over facebook and the misuse of data... a data firm associated

with the trump campaign has been suspended... we willingly let facebook, google and other companies access our personal data, and in return they give us personalised services for free. it means personal information is valuable to them, but for a long time now we have wondered just how valuable. but ever since these companies started amassing our data, the clock has been ticking. in 2008, we showed you how you and your friends' facebook data could be accessed by a rogue facebook application without consent. in 2011, a researcher warned that if computers could analyse enough facebook data from enough people, they could spot connections between the way you act online and your personality traits, the type of person you are. what is really changing about

those algorithms is that they can take your music preferences or your book preferences and extract from this seemingly innocent information very accurate predictions about your religiosity, leadership potential, political views, personality and so on. by having hundreds and hundreds of thousands take this survey we were able to form a model to predict the personality of every single adult in the united states of america... by 2016, alexander nix was explaining how cambridge analytica could use this kind of research to find people of different personality types and target them with specific messages that might influence their behaviour. if you know the personality of the people you're targeting, you can nuance your messaging to resonate more effectively with those key audience groups, because it's personality that

drives behaviour and behaviour that obviously influences how you vote. soon afterwards, these techniques were used by two political campaigns that would rock the world. yes, your likes and dislikes, your comments and posts, your personal data, they are valuable. but it is what they say about you as a person, that's where the real power lies. no—one knows exactly how much these techniques actually contributed to the results of the votes. one of the first researchers to ask the question was paul, who worked on an article at the end of 2016 which investigated what was happening, and this week he was here in london to give evidence to mps about the latest revelations. sitting alongside him in the commons select committee was cambridge analytica whistle—blower christopher wiley. and straight after the session,

paul sat down with me. this isn't just about facebook, and not just about cambridge analytica, is it? this data collection and analysis has been going on for a long time and has been done by lots of people. right, so in two ways it is notjust about those companies. facebook enables a lot more companies than just cambridge analytica to suck out data in similar ways. that's the first thing. and then facebook is just one player in a big ecosystem of online advertising, online profiling. some of the companies you have heard of, but some of them you just have no relationship with. even if you fully understand the terms and conditions that you're agreeing to about what data you're sharing, i don't think anyone really understood what could be inferred from the data, so not the list of your friends, not your likes and dislikes, but the things that you've never talked about that now they can tell from your digital footprint. yeah, it is really hard

to understand the inference power of this data, what can be deduced from it, that's true, how people make decisions higher they think about the issue before making a decision or not. another way to say this is that they were trying to find gullible people. if you are able to do that, you canjust make them, you know, buy into anything and any content. it is easy to believe that facebook managed to swing the us election, managed to swing brexit, it was only people on facebook who saw these ads that were targeted at them and then went out and possibly changed their vote — is that what we're talking about, or are we talking about facebookjust being used as a research tool which could then be applied to the community in many ways? whether people were individually convinced to vote differently, i don't personally believe that is how it happened. what i believe is that facebook itself could be manipulated using these techniques, to make some content go viral, and that would

affect public discourse. so that would steer the conversation, basically. and if you're able to do this, more or less automated, more or less repetitive fashion, then you have partly already won the election because you're steering the conversation about the election. and that's the point that hillary clinton has been making again and again about cambridge analytica, their ability to steer the conversation on these topics. and that had an impact, the fact that some content was shared widely during the election, had an impact on editorial decisions made by the more established media, which in turn had an impact on other people. paul says that even though facebook and google have recently allowed us to download everything that they have on us, it's not really everything. facebook can collect data of people who don't have facebook.

yeah, it's called shadow profiles. so that practice, for instance, has been forbidden in belgium, where i am from. even people who do have an account are being tracked over the web, that same information is collected about them — why can't they see it, why can't they see all the web pages that facebook knows they have visited before? making that transparent would have a very dramatic effect, i think, in making people aware of how much tracking goes on. do you think that uk or eu regulation is strong enough when it comes to protecting our data? that's part of what i wanted to say in the committee. we have very strong regulations around personal data that are going to get stronger, but it is completely useless, and actually worse than not having it, if we are not going to enforce it. it needs to be enforced — that's the critical point where things are failing. why are they not being enforced?

because the regulator currently see their role as balancing commercial interests with democratic interests regarding personal data. and that balancing they have done so far was simply wrong, too much on the side of commercial interests and not enough on the counterbalances if you want. facebook‘s reputation and its wealth has taken a massive hit in the last couple of weeks, with $80 billion being wiped off its value. so can the recently announced new privacy tools help to restore confidence? is this the end for facebook? facebook can still adapt their ways, they can still change, they will have to anyway because of the regulation that's coming into force. it is an opportunity to reinvent themselves. it is notjust facebook and cambridge analytica which have been raising big questions about the future of tech. as you will probably know,

an uber self driving test car hit and killed a pedestrian, a 49—year—old in arizona, on the 19th of march. uber subsequently announced that it would indefinitely discontinue all of its other tests, but the accident leaves big questions about how the self driving sector is to proceed. dave lee has met the boss of one of the other big self driving front runners to find out what this might mean. i would like to introduce to you all the world's first premium electric fully self driving car... you're looking at a fully electric, now self driving vehicle. the sensors are engineered by waymo but the car is every inch a jaguar. waymo and jaguar land rover are going to work together to get 20,000 of these cars on the roads

within the next two years. their eventual aim is one million self driving trips every single day. so by the end of this year, we will have this driverless transportation service up and running in phoenix. folks will be able to use a waymo app to get from one point to another. and their won't be a safety driver? that's correct. how willing will people be tojump in a car without a driver behind the wheel? if our experience in phoenix is any indication, a lot of people, more than we would be able to handle, quite frankly! oh, this is weird! what waymo is hoping to do with self driving is coming years before most would have predicted. the company has been running tests with a select few customers, and says it is having a profound effect on their lives.

but the self driving industry suffered a major, tragic setback when uber‘s self driving car struck 49—year—old elena hertzberg as she crossed the road with her bicycle. there are lots of questions being looked at by investigators, namely, why didn't the car, which should have been able to see in the dark, stop? but even if the public is worried, it's clear that waymo, which has been working on the technology longer than uber, is still confident. it is very bold of you to do this launch so soon after a fatal crash in this sector — did that cross your mind at all when setting up? not really. our focus has always been on safety, it's how we founded this project more nine years ago, and during that time we have driven over five million miles autonomously, on public roads in the us, testing in 25 different cities.

we've exercised that software in over five billion miles of simulation. at any given time we've got 25,000 cars driving around in simulation, making that software even stronger and better. but are you worried about the perception in the wake of what happened to uber — i appreciate it is not the same company, but the perception of self driving took a real hit when that happened. you know, we will have to see. i think ourjob isjust to get out there and be as transparent as we can with our technology. last fall, we published a safety report which meant to explain to the world how it is we think through all aspects of safety. it is our founding concept. so we will see. i'm feeling a bit peckish, and i have got some gadgets to test,

but luckily i can deal with both of those things here. so how about a spot of italian food, and some help from a few of the latest translation devices to see if i can order from the native italian speakers who work here in their first language? wish me luck! hello. excuse mejust a moment. first up, these were released last year by google and as well as being a set of bluetooth earbuds, they also translate in real time, the thing is you do need to have a google pixel phone to make it plausible. help me speak italian. i would like the mozzarella, tomato and avocado salad, please, but i don't eat garlic, is there any garlic in it? just waiting for the italian. phone speaks italian. and if you want to understand

the response you get, it can be picked up your phone and translated into your ears, creating some sort of two—way conversation. there is no oil in the salad. so they sound similar in italian, do they? yeah. the thing is, i feel rather silly talking with these. i think i would have felt more comfortable just using google translate on my phone. these are bragi dash pro, totally wireless earbuds. the old one has been updated, and it now has integration with third—party apps, which includes the one i am about to use now. ok, i like the sound of the avocado, buffalo mozzarella and plum tomatoes, please, but can i check there is no garlic in it? perfect, thank you very much!

could ijust have some tap water to drink, please? i would like some water from the sink to drink, please. i can understand, but it is not the proper translation! the final device i'm going to test is travis the translator. you may wonder why you would want a stand—alone device when actually your phone can do most of this, so do you need any earphones? certainly, do you need one of these? well, you can either put a sim in it and it connects via wi—fi or you can connect it to your own personal hotspot. the company claims it can understand context better than phone apps in more languages,

as it calls upon data from many translation engines, including ibm, microsoft and google. this is probably the most fiddly one i've ever used. i think it is time to try ordering the dessert. i like what is described on the menu as a traditional home—made italian favourite. device speaks italian. of course, this has just been a brief demonstration of these devices and what they can do but i have tested them in a few different environments, and so far this one seems to have worked pretty well, the others as well, the translation has been 0k, it's just been a little bit fiddly and awkward having something in my ears. and at many points i've felt like i could just use my smartphone for this. thank you very much! that was lara.

now, we haven't talked about virtual reality for a little while, but don't worry, it hasn't gone away. in fact, its effects are now being felt in popular culture, with virtual worlds featuring prominently in tv shows like the electric dreams sci—fi anthology. and now vr is making a return to the big screen, thanks to a hollywood legend. this is the oasis. ready player 0ne explores a virtual world through the eyes of an inhabitant of a gigantic community of stacked motorhomes in columbus, ohio in a grim imagining of the year 2045. it is the latest sci—fi offering from hollywood legend steven spielberg. scraping by in a slum composed of old caravans and shipping

containers is such an unpleasant existence that most of the characters in the movie choose to shun the real world, creating avatars of themselves and spending most of their time in the virtual reality called the oasis. wade is searching for three keys left by mark rylance's deceased creator of the oasis, james halliday. these keys will turn over control of the virtual world to whoever finds them. wade and his gang are not alone in their quest — an evil corporation is also searching for the keys so that it can take over the oasis and exploit its user base. tech companies exploiting their users? ridiculous! what could be further from reality?! virtual or otherwise? does the movie tell us anything about the way we live now?

obviously, in the film everybody spends their time inside a virtual online world, and now we get people spending a lot of time on social media and that kind of thing, so that is there something to take away? in the oasis, they are limited to their imagination and in our world now it is right at yourfingertips. you can choose to be immersed in a digital screen, or you can choose to engage in reality. and i think this film is going to resonate, because it explores themes that are really present in our world today. the movie is split between the real and virtual world, and the cast engaged in extensive performance capture to create the virtual alter egos. i build worlds. the two of us had never performed using that medium, you are completely operating in your own imagination, you don't have a costume,

you don't have hair and make—up, and so your avatar encapsulates a certain swagger and confidence because you are completely using your own imagination and you are being playful. the movie is based on the hugely popular book by the same name penned by the author who also co—wrote the screenplay. is it a cautionary tale or a celebration of virtual reality? for me it serves as an allegory for the internet, which i think is the most powerful communication tool that we have ever devised, it connects all of us and also somehow isolates us as well. i always thought of it as the opposite of the matrix, as opposed to machines enslaving us, we would create a virtual world and then willingly escape into it. it is easy to see how the real world, and the needs of the real world, would be neglected if we had something like this. so, for me, it is a fun adventure that kind of shows the potential of this technology, but also the pitfalls of it. i'm a dreamer.

the book has had a massive influence on a lot of people, because it references so many other things that they love, like the movies back to the future, there is a lot of video game references as well, these are things that his audience already feel quite nostalgic about, and can have an emotional reaction to already. so that really embedded the book within that feeling of nostalgia. but the tech featured in the film is not as sci—fi as you might think. it is set in 2045, but we're actually seeing the starting versions of a lot of the technologies that you see in the film or read about in the book already, things like the haptic suits and the controllers and a vr headset, looking very much like something you could get today. for example, the suit provides force feedback and can simulate like physical sensation and even pain via tiny electrical pulses.

and cutting cables out of the equation, htc is working on a wireless adapter for its own headset. there is a host of lower—end vr headsets used by mobile phones but 0culous is about to launch one which is a self—contained device which doesn't need a computer. i think the technology maybe is not quite there yet, you've still got the problem of cables on a lot of headsets or you have to make the trade off and get a mobile version, in which case the quality is not so good. one solution to the problems of the kit is to let somebody else set it up for you. that's where vr arcades comes in. i think we're going to be seeing more of these arcades, live vr experiences, like the void, which is an experience, you can go with friends and it is a prepared room, environment, especially for that experience, kind of like going to a movie 01’ an escape room or some interactive theatre, i think that will become more popular and widespread. here at game box in south london, the virtual reality is combined

with a pub to give a social vr experience which makes use of a harness to make sure players don't injure themselves if they have had one too many. collaborative games rely on teamwork to solve simple tasks. it also illustrates the potential of more social vr experiences. man down! failing that, you could just try to shoot your opponents in zero—g shooter sky front. and the brains behind this outfit are occurring to use this game to launch the world's first inter—pub vr tournament. it's going to be between london and brighton, and there are going to be teams from both sides competing against each other. the pub that wins overall, they're going to win a happy hour for the whole pub. so not so far—fetched after all.

but whether it's a frightening vision of an online future or an all—action pop—culture mash—up, it's alljust a matter of perspective. how about an entire movie in vr next time, mr spielberg? that's it from us for this week. don't forget we live on facebook and on twitter, thank you very much the watching and we will see you soon. hello, thanks for joining

hello, thanks forjoining me, i wa nted hello, thanks forjoining me, i wanted to when you up to date with how the weather will affect the british isles in the next couple of days, 2h hours that will be quite dramatic, a lot of rain around of late, our weather watchers' pictures ca ptu re late, our weather watchers' pictures capture that, and there's more to come as this cloud comes in from the south—western quarter. in the midst of all of that, there is rain and snow to come as well. we're pushing all this moisture from the south—west up into a belt of league cold atmosphere, that is why, for a time across southern parts, as we get into the wee small hours of easter monday, there will be a transitional rain into snow, not just on higher ground. however, it will be transitory here, you can see what i mean about the milder in the south, colder conditions further north. let me move you toward the middle of the day on easter monday, it will be on the cold side in this great swathe from northern ireland to southern scotland, the north of england, this is where, particularly

but not exclusively, on high ground we will see snow lying. at the highest levels, 5—15 centimetres, so the trans—pennine highest levels, 5—15 centimetres, so the tra ns—pennine routes highest levels, 5—15 centimetres, so the trans—pennine routes will be badly affected by this for a time, because that belt of weather only gradually creeps a little bit further north through the rest of easter monday. pushing on into the middle part of the afternoon. in the south, it won't be any stew, because of the temperatures. it will be any stew because of those temperatures in southern scotland, into the north of england. for easter monday, for some of you, you will see a significant possibility of disruption due to snow. particularly over the higher level routes across the pennines, the southern uplands of scotland. from tuesday, that moves away towards the northern part of scotland, living the rest of the country and something quieter and milder. a bit of sunshine poking through, as you will see in a moment, a real contrast in the feel of the day. but again i have to

point out the fact that some of the high level routes across the northern half of scotland will be badly affected by snow. again, once we get to the central belt, northern ireland and all points south, a mixture of sunny spells and heavy showers, especially in northern ireland, 1a or 15. this is bbc news. i'm shaun ley. the headlines... labour's newest nec member, comedian eddie izzard, says the party must stamp out anti—semitism and rebuild relations with thejewish community. it comes as labour distances itself from some pro—jeremy corbyn facebook groups featuring anti—semitic and abusive comments. anthonyjoshua moves a step closer to becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, after beating new zealand's joseph parker. if i was retiring on this high i'd be like, "yes, i'm the man". because you retire on a high. but i've got to kind of defend my throne again in a few months, so i'm kind of balanced. we're still hustling. pope francis has called for an end

to what he says is carnage in syria and for humanitarian aid to be allowed to reach the vulnerable. i'm shaun ley, and in the next hour.... happy centenary, raf.