2018: The year in technology stories

Facebook's business practices dominated much of the year's biggest talking points, alongside new data regulations coming into force in Europe and the continuing rise of Fortnite as a global phenomenon. Facebook came under intense scrutiny during 2018, as the company's approach to data privacy and its handling of personal information was put under the spotlight. The Cambridge Analytica scandal, which exposed not only how data could be scraped from Facebook users but also the flaws in the company's own data policies, sparked much of the scrutiny. Despite several appearances in front of lawmakers in the US and European Union, Mark Zuckerberg and his firm failed to satisfy many with questions over how the social network operates and has seen its public trust and even its share value plummet. It also sparked an ongoing battle with a House of Commons select committee, which looks set to continue into next year.