Technology

Google will pay Texas $1.4B to settle claims the company collected users’ data without permission

Google will pay $1.4 billion to Texas to settle claims the company collected data on users without permission, the state’s attorney general announced Friday. In 2022, Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Google, saying the search giant collected millions of biometric identifiers, including voiceprints and records of face geometry, through its products and services like Google […]
1 year ago

‘DA POPE!’ Leo XIV’s Chicago roots unleash spate of holy humor

A Chicago-born cardinal walks into a conclave. The rest of the joke tells itself. In the breathless day since Pope Leo XIV’s election as the first American pontiff, the memes, doctored images and tongue-in-cheek references have piled up deeper than Chicago’s pizza and more loaded than its hot dog, seemingly irresistible to comics and commoners […]
1 year ago
The Army dress uniform and photo of the late Christopher Pelkey is shown at his mother's home, Wedn...

From AI avatars to virtual reality crime scenes, courts are grappling with AI in the justice system

Stacey Wales gripped the lectern, choking back tears as she asked the judge to give the man who shot and killed her brother the maximum possible sentence for manslaughter. What appeared next stunned those in the Phoenix courtroom last week: An AI-generated video with a likeness of her brother, Christopher Pelkey, told the shooter he […]
1 year ago

San Francisco region’s commuter trains are running again after hours-long stoppage

Thousands of commuters in the San Francisco Bay Area were scrambling for alternate routes after its regional commuter rail system known as BART shut down systemwide for several hours Friday morning. Bay Area Rapid Transit said it could not run its train control system due to a malfunction. A BART spokesperson said on its media […]
1 year ago
north korea IT workers fbi...
Luke Duecy

Tech Talk: FBI warns U.S. of data extortion, espionage by fake North Korean IT workers

The FBI warned American businesses that North Korean IT workers are escalating their malicious attacks on U.S. companies to steal sensitive data, intellectual property, and money.
1 year ago
FILE - Students listen to instruction from instructor Ben McLane, right, during a wildland firefigh...

Forest and park service worker cuts leave wildland firefighting crews short-staffed

SEATTLE (AP) — Trump administration funding cuts and a loss of federal workers who help support wildland firefighting continues to make planning for the upcoming wildfire season a challenge, according to forest and fire officials in Washington state and Oregon. The biggest issue they’re facing is a lack of communication from the federal government as […]
1 year ago
A United Airlines jetliner prepares to push off from a gate at Denver International Airport Wednesd...

Officials plan to revamp the US air traffic control system. Here’s a breakdown by the numbers

The Trump administration on Thursday announced an ambitious three-year plan to replace the United State’s aging air traffic control system. Officials did not provide an exact cost estimate but said it would require billions of dollars to put in place. They said a $12.5 billion budget proposal that a House committee drafted last week represents […]
1 year ago
This photo, provided by The Strong Museum in Rochester, N.Y., shows "Defender", "GoldenEye 007", "Q...

World Video Game Hall of Fame inducts Defender, Tamagotchi, GoldenEye 007 and Quake

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — The World Video Game Hall of Fame on Thursday inducted four honorees, paying tribute to games that challenged players and changed the industry. Making up the Class of 2025 are: Defender, the 1981 arcade game that raised the bar on difficulty; Tamagotchi, the digital pets that bridged toys and video games; […]
1 year ago
This undated image shows Chris Pelkey with a fish at Crystal Lake in Coram, N.Y. (Tim Wales via AP)...

He was killed in a road rage shooting. AI allowed him to deliver his own victim impact statement

CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) — There were dozens of statements submitted to the court by family and friends of Christopher Pelkey when it came time to sentence the man convicted of shooting him during a road rage incident. They provided glimpses of Pelkey’s humor, his character and his military service. But there was nothing quite like […]
1 year ago
In this photo taken from video, a helicopter falls from the sky into the Hudson River , Thursday, A...

New report shows NYC helicopter breaking apart in midair before crash that killed 6

This story is no longer available on this site. Read the original story here.
1 year ago
FILE - Electric vehicle chargers are seen in the parking lot of South El Monte High School in South...

States sue over Trump blocking billions of dollars for electric vehicle charging

This story is no longer available on this site. Read the original story here.
1 year ago
Image: Mark Zuckerberg speaks at the Meta Connect conference on Sept. 25, 2024, in Menlo Park, Cali...
The KIRO Newsradio staff with wire reports

Meta replaces fact-checking with X-style community notes

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta said Tuesday it's scrapping its third-party fact-checking program and replacing it with Community Notes.
2 years ago
Image: These images pulled from a recent King County Sheriff's office video show cable and internet...
Steve Coogan

Police remind public the dangers of thieves vandalizing telecom cables

Crimes involving the vandalizing of telecom cables and internet lines have caught the attention of the King County Sheriff's Office.
2 years ago
Image:Comcast crews were on site in South King County to complete repairs Saturday, Oct. 27, 2024 a...
Steve Coogan

Vandalism impacts Comcast customers in South King County

Comcast customers around South King County experienced service outages Saturday after two cable lines were damaged in a case of vandalism.
2 years ago
Passwords vs. passkeys...
Bill Kaczaraba

Why you should care about the difference between a password and a passkey

Herb Weisbaum, contributing editor for Checkbook.org, told KIRO Newsradio it's time to upgrade to passkeys.
2 years ago
Image: The exterior of a Bank of America location can be seen in Austin, Texas, on July 16, 2024....
Steve Coogan

Bank of America customers in Seattle area, US report account issues, $0 balances

Tens of thousands of Bank of America customers across the country reported major issues accessing their bank accounts Wednesday.
2 years ago
Seattle Library Levy...
Luke Duecy

Seattle Public Library will spend $1M responding to ransomware attack 

The Seattle Public Library expects to pay $1 million out of its pocket responding to a ransomware attack that has caused issues for months.
2 years ago
Image: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Aviation Managing Director Lance Lyttle testified dur...
Steve Coogan

Sea-Tac Airport official testifies hackers demanded ransom of about $6M in bitcoin

A Sea-Tac Airport official confirmed the hackers who entered the Port of Seattle systems demanded a ransom of about $6 million.
2 years ago
Image: Hezbollah fighters carry one of the coffins of four fallen comrades who were killed Tuesday ...
Associated Press

Lebanon rocked again by exploding devices as Israel declares ‘new phase’ of war

Walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks.
2 years ago
Image: Police officers inspect a car inside of which a hand-held pager exploded, Beirut, Lebanon, o...
Associated Press

Hezbollah hit by a wave of exploding pagers, blames Israel; at least 9 dead, thousands injured

Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday,
2 years ago
Image: In this image from video provided by NASA, the unmanned Boeing Starliner capsule fires its t...
Associated Press

2 astronauts are left behind in space as troubled Boeing Starliner returns to Earth empty

The first astronaut mission from Boeing ended Friday night with an empty capsule, the Starliner, landing and two test pilots still in space.
2 years ago
Sea-tac airport shutdown...
Bill Kaczaraba

Digital disruptions caused by CrowdStrike, Microsoft impact Sea-Tac, area hospitals

In sweeping digital disruptions, a flawed software update has led to a cascade of failures across vital services worldwide.
2 years ago
Photo: Starting this fall, students at Seattle's Hamilton International Middle School will have to ...
Julia Dallas

2 Seattle schools to say goodbye to cell phones in the fall

Starting this fall, students at Seattle's Hamilton International Middle School will have to lock up their cell phones during school hours.
2 years ago
Image: The Boeing Starliner spacecraft capsule prepares to dock with the International Space Statio...
Associated Press

Boeing astronaut capsule arrives at the space station after thruster trouble

The Boeing capsule arrived at the International Space Station Thursday, delayed by late thruster trouble that almost derailed the docking.
2 years ago