10 things in tech you need to know today

Good morning! Here is the tech news you need to know this Wednesday.

1. Uber defended its business model in Europe's highest court. It said its service had made it easier for people to get around and cut pollution as it fights a case which could leave app-based startups facing tougher regulation.

2. The Queen has passed a highly controversial piece of legislation that gives British intelligence agencies the legal right to conduct mass surveillance on people in the UK. The legislation has been nicknamed the "Snooper's Charter."

3. Europe is building "deep tech" clusters beyond London, Berlin, and Stockholm. That's according to a report from Atomico, the venture capital company set up by Skype cofounder Niklas Zennström.

4. PlayStation is on track to crush Facebook and HTC in the first year of VR sales. PlayStation VR is a simple plug-and-play setup, making it more accessible to the average consumer.

5. Rohan Silva, the former government advisor who now runs the Second Home tech space, is planning to build homes to offset London's high cost of living. He believes the planning process needs to be improved in the city.

6. Apple's massive pyramid of dirt has disappeared. The earth has been spread around Apple's new campus for landscaping.

7. Hackers have broken into a high-end European bank and are blackmailing its customers. Customers of Valartis, a Chinese-owned Liechtenstein bank, are being told by unknown blackmailers they must pay 10% of their life savings.

8. BMW Group has announced that it plans to spend up to €500 million (£427 million) on new car technologies over the next 10 years through its i Ventures division. The German car company is relocating its VC business from New York to Silicon Valley.

9. Ford will begin testing its self-driving cars in Europe in 2017. Ford's self-driving cars won't have a steering wheel, gas or brake pedals.

10. Classic games like "Pac-Man" and "Space Invaders" are coming to Facebook. The social network has announced Instant Games, its most aggressive push into the world of gaming.