Technology

FCC to investigate Comcast for having DEI programs

Published

10 months ago

February 11, 2025

FCC to investigate Comcast for having DEI programs

Federal Communications Chair Brendan Carr has asked his agency to investigate Comcast’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices, reports Newsmax. “We have received an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission and will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions,” Comcast spokesperson Joelle Terry confirms to The Verge.

According to Newsmax, Carr said that FCC is looking for signs that the company’s initiatives have violated federal employment law, writing: “I expect that this investigation into Comcast and its NBCUniversal operations will aid the commission’s broader efforts to root out invidious forms of DEI discrimination across all of the sectors the FCC regulates.”

Since taking control of the FCC last month, Carr has threatened to pull broadcast licenses of companies like Disney and CBS for airing content that’s not friendly to Trump and conservatives. He has also ordered investigations into NPR and PBS for “airing commercials,” which fellow Commissioner Anna Gomez told The Verge was a Trump administration “effort to weaponize the power of the FCC.” Carr was a Trump appointee, and he wrote the Project 2025 chapter on how the FCC should rein in big companies.

In addition to its cable, wireless, and internet services, Comcast owns a swath of broadcasters, including NBC Universal, streaming service Peacock, and many others. (Disclosure: Comcast is also an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.)

Related Topics:Comcast law news policy Politics regulation speech Tech

Click to comment

Technology

BMW iX3 first drive: a ‘New Class’ is in session

Published

10 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Press Room

BMW iX3 first drive: a ‘New Class’ is in session

BMW has been peppering us with teasers and bits and pieces about its next-gen EV platform, Neue Klasse, for so long — fully two years now — that I confess I’ve become a bit numb to the hype. I’d seen the dashboard-filling displays, talked to engineers endlessly about the completely retooled active safety suite, and even got a go behind the wheel of a prototype machine.

All this for the launch of a crossover SUV, typically the most milquetoast of all the automotive classifications. But after spending the better part of a day wheeling around the final version of the iX3, I’m surprised to say it was all worth it. This little(ish) SUV really is a game changer on multiple fronts, a major step forward for BMW’s electric efforts, and a machine that might even be good enough to beat the EV sales slump.

For carmakers, platforms are key. They’re the core elements that allow relatively quick and inexpensive development of multiple new models without having to completely reinvent core elements like chassis, engines, suspension, and software. Neue Klasse (German for “New Class”) is BMW’s latest and greatest new platform, intended to form the foundation of a series of EVs to come.

The iX3 is the first of those, a compact SUV that’s more or less the same size as BMW’s existing X3, offering similar amounts of cargo and space for five passengers. This new platform tucks the battery down low and pushes its two motors to the front and rear. None of that is novel in the EV space, but most of BMW’s previous EVs have relied on platforms designed for internal combustion. This one’s optimized for EVs from the beginning.

There’s a 108.7kWh usable battery pack in there, powering the pair of motors that, combined, offer 463 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque through all four wheels. Maximum range will be around 400 miles (EPA testing has not yet been completed), 40-odd more than Tesla’s longest-range Model Y.

BMW’s engineers told me that the iX3’s new electrical architecture is really the key, including more efficient motors and silicon-carbide inverters. It charges faster, too, at up to 400kW if you can find a plug backed by enough juice. That’ll be a NACS plug, by the way, as this will be BMW’s first to support the Tesla-style connector.

A quick glance in the cabin of the iX3 reveals the SUV’s biggest tech upgrade: the pillar-to-pillar Panoramic Vision display. Think of it like an ultra-widescreen heads-up display that acts as a gauge cluster on the left, but has six customizable sections in the middle and the right where you can display anything from efficiency information to whatever’s playing on Spotify.

Enough never being enough, the iX3 also has an actual 3D heads-up display that projects above the Panoramic Vision, plus a 17.9-inch, 3,340 x 1,440 rhomboid-shaped touchscreen for good measure. It’s display overload and a little overwhelming the first time you get in the car, but I found it to be seamless enough to not be a distraction. If it all seems like a bit too much for you, it’s easy enough to disable the more expansive or attention-grabbing display sections.

The in-car experience is paired with an upgraded My BMW app that not only lets you remotely park the car from outside and get a 3D view of the inside or outside of the car; you can even queue up playlists on your phone or give your passengers control to do the same from their own devices.

To experience the more important tech upgrades, though, you need to be behind the wheel.

Taking back control from many of today’s more advanced active safety systems in cars can sometimes feel like wrestling. Often, a firm yank of the wheel is required to override a lane-centering system, which can result in a disconcertingly jerky experience for your passengers.

The iX3, on the other hand, is designed to be totally seamless. If you have BMW’s Highway Assistant enabled, it’ll steer itself in most situations on the highway, but you can just reach up and grab the wheel whenever you like. There’s no resistance to overcome, and if you let go the car just takes over again.

Even if you want to change lanes the car can help you there. When prompted, glance in the mirror and the car will change lanes on its own. Or, if you grab the wheel and change lanes yourself, the car will apply the turn signal for you automatically.

BMW’s system will also stay enabled if you hit the brake pedal. You can come to a complete stop if you like, then release the brake and the car will smoothly bring itself back up to speed. The system stays engaged until you turn it off — or hit the brakes more aggressively — working with you instead of against you.

This new safety system feels a bit odd at first. It took me some time to figure out when it was on and when it was off. But, after a few minutes on the highway, I got into the groove of things. It really did feel more like working collaboratively with the car instead of having its systems constantly turning on and off. The hands-off system worked extremely well, too, cleanly moving through traffic.

It wasn’t until I hit some secondary country roads that I could get a feel for just how good the iX3 was to drive, though. That dual-motor setup means full-time all-wheel drive, but the power split between those two motors changes depending on what drive mode you’re in. The car feels safe and secure in Personal, the regular drive mode. Drive it as aggressively as you want and it just has a calm, predictable nature that makes it easy to keep pointed in the right direction without too much input from the driver.

To experience the more important tech upgrades, you need to be behind the wheel

Switch over to Sport, though, and the tail kicks out just a bit under hard acceleration, making the iX3 feel like a traditional, rear-driven BMW. This isn’t a rocket ship, but it is quick and the suspension strikes a great balance between predictable, comfortable handling and sporty response. Even the steering feels sharp and has respectable feedback, just like BMWs of old.

In a lot of ways, this wholly new package feels like a return to form, a new SUV that has engaging driving and safety at its core but blends in enough luxury and refinement to keep its premium cachet. But it isn’t a sure-fire success. For one thing, there’s the look. BMW has been pushing boundaries with many of its latest designs, and the iX3 certainly has an edgy style. After initially hating it, I have to admit that after a day behind the wheel I quickly warmed up to the iX3’s appearance, particularly when viewed from the rear.

Even if you like the SUV’s style, there’s still the question of cost. BMW hasn’t set formal pricing for the 2026 BMW iX3 yet, only that it will start around $60,000. That puts it at least $10,000 more than a base, gas-powered X3 SUV. With federal EV incentives no longer at play, that delta could be a difficult one for many shoppers to stomach.

But, despite sharing most of a name, these two SUVs feel worlds apart. With enough range and fast enough charging to obliterate range anxiety, plus with an abundance of volume, handling, and comfort, the EV is the obvious play for those with room in their budget.

Photography by Tim Stevens

Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

Tim Stevens

Technology

Holiday travel privacy risks and how to stay safe

Published

10 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Press Room

Holiday travel privacy risks and how to stay safe

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Holiday travel is stressful enough with crowded airports, expensive flights and last-minute itinerary changes. But there’s a hidden part of the travel industry most people don’t know about: your personal data is being harvested, packaged and sold every time you book a flight, reserve a hotel room or check a travel app.

Whether you’re traveling for a Christmas break or booking early for New Year’s, the companies you trust with your most sensitive details—full name, home address, passport info, travel dates and device data—are sharing and selling far more than you think.

And during the holiday rush, that data becomes a goldmine for scammers.

Let’s unpack how this works, which companies collect the most and what you can do before you travel to keep your personal information out of the wrong hands.

Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report
Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter.

PROTECT YOUR DATA BEFORE HOLIDAY SHOPPING SCAMS STRIKE

Holiday travel brings more than stress because every booking and check-in quietly generates personal data you may not realize you are giving away. (iStock)

Why holiday travel puts your data at risk

The holiday season is the peak period for travel-related data collection. Airlines, hotels, booking platforms, loyalty programs and travel apps all experience massive traffic spikes—millions of Americans are searching for deals, comparing prices, checking gate changes and re-booking delayed flights.

Every one of those actions creates trackable data points, including:

Email address
Phone number
Full name and DOB
Address history
Travel itineraries
Passport or ID data
Device fingerprint
IP address and location
Shopping habits and spending patterns.

You might assume this data stays with the airline or hotel. It doesn’t.

Most companies share it with advertisers, analytics firms, data brokers and dozens of unnamed “partners.” Some even use your data to profile you—how often you travel, how much you’ll likely spend and whether you’re a “high-value” target.

That information can easily leak into scammer databases, which is why holiday travelers suddenly see:

Fake “your flight is canceled” texts
Phishing emails that look identical to hotel confirmations
Bogus baggage fee requests
Fake TSA PreCheck renewal notices
“Urgent re-verification required” messages.

Scammers rely on the fact that you’re stressed, rushing and expecting travel updates. And because they already have your personal data, their attacks are frighteningly convincing.

STOP FOREIGN-OWNED APPS FROM HARVESTING YOUR PERSONAL DATA

Airlines, hotels, apps and booking platforms collect far more information than most travelers know and that data often gets shared with advertisers and data brokers. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Examples of what major travel companies collect

Here are real-world examples of how holiday travel platforms collect and share your data:

1) Airlines (Delta, American, United, Southwest)

Major U.S. airlines collect not just your name, phone number and email, but also travel companions, payment details, geolocation data, device data and loyalty-program activity.

They share this with:

“Marketing partners”
Analytics platforms
Third-party advertisers
Data-enrichment firms.

Many of these partners, over time, become part of the data broker ecosystem.

2) Booking platforms (Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com)

Each booking platform details what it collects in its privacy policy. Oftentimes, these sites track:

Search history
Price views
Device fingerprint
Click behavior
IP-based location
Payment attempts—even abandoned carts.

This is used to build profiles that determine what deals you’re shown and how aggressively you’re targeted.

3) Hotel chains (Marriott, Hilton, IHG)

Marriott’s privacy policy and other privacy statements list over 60 categories of data it collects. Some chains were caught sharing guest data with:

Ad networks
Social media platforms
Third-party “guest experience” tools
Affiliate networks
Data brokers for cross-device tracking.

Cybercriminals have been using the information of over 500 million Marriott guests, exposed during a four-year-long breach that started in 2014, to craft and execute travel-themed scams to this day.

4) Travel apps (Airbnb, Hopper, KAYAK, TripIt)

These are some of the most aggressive data collectors because they run nonstop on your phone. Many collect:

Real-time location
Contacts
Clipboard data
Behavioral analytics
Device ID
In-app browsing.

Some of these firms then “share information with partners for marketing enhancement,” which is typically code for data selling.

YOUR DISCARDED LUGGAGE TAGS ARE WORTH MONEY TO SCAMMERS

Scammers use leaked travel details to send fake flight alerts, hotel messages and urgent payment notices that look real because they already have your personal information. (iStock)

How scammers use your travel data

Once your information enters the ecosystem, scammers build travel-themed attacks designed to hit you at the worst possible time. Some common examples include:

Fake airline notifications: (e.g., “Your flight has been canceled, click here to rebook”)
Urgent hotel “payment failure” emails: Scammers use leaked address and booking data to send emails that look exactly like they’re from the Hilton or Marriott
Fake baggage fees: (e.g., “Pay $24.90 to release your checked bag”)
TSA and Global Entry renewal scams.

This isn’t guesswork. They already have your name, flight, hotel, location and travel dates—because the travel industry’s data partners sold or leaked them.

How to protect yourself before you travel

Here are my top steps to staying private this holiday season:

1) Check what data the travel companies already have

Hotels, airlines and booking sites all have data removal options—though they’re buried in their privacy settings.

2) Stop apps from tracking your location

Turn off location permissions for apps like:

Hopper
Airbnb
Expedia
HotelTonight.

Many track you even when not in use. Here’s how to do it for iPhone and Android:

On iPhone: Open Settings, tap Privacy & Security, then tap Location Services, scroll down to the app and tap each app, and set location access to “While Using the App” or “Never,” and turn off “Share My Location” if you don’t want them to see your exact spot.

On Android: Open Settings, tap Location, then choose App location permissions or App permissions, find the app and tap it, and change each one to “Allow only while using the app” or “Don’t allow” so they can’t track you in the background. (Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.)

3) Remove your personal data from data broker sites

This is the most important step. Even if you stop airlines and hotels from collecting new data, your existing data is already circulating through dozens of data brokers, and that’s what scammers use to target travelers.

Data brokers hold:

Your travel patterns
Address history
Email and phone details
Income level
Household info
Your family members’ names.

You can manually request removal from hundreds of sites, but it takes months. That’s why I recommend a data removal service. While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com

4) Use an email alias for bookings

An alias email reduces the amount of spam and phishing attempts you’ll receive. By creating email aliases, you can also protect your information. These aliases forward messages to your primary address, making it easier to manage incoming communications and avoid data breaches.

For recommendations on private and secure email providers that offer alias addresses, visit Cyberguy.com

5) Avoid airport Wi-Fi for anything involving payments

Scammers often run fake hotspots. So, avoid airport public Wi-Fi when accessing financial information.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Kurt’s key takeaways

The holiday season is here, and many of us are getting ready to travel to see family and friends. As travel picks up, personal data collection and sharing also increases. Airlines, hotels and travel apps often share your information with unknown third parties, which scammers can use to target you during your trip. Before you pack your bags, take a few minutes to remove your personal data from online brokers. Doing this helps protect your identity and lets you travel with peace of mind.

How do you protect your personal information when you travel during the holidays? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Mirumi the furry companion robot is now available on Kickstarter

Published

22 hours ago

December 3, 2025

Press Room

Mirumi the furry companion robot is now available on Kickstarter

Among a sea of new TVs, robovacs, and smart glasses, Yukai Engineering’s Mirumi was a unique standout at CES 2025 earlier this year. The tiny robot has no practical purpose other than looking adorable and bringing a smile to people’s faces by simulating an inquisitive personality. The company planned to release the companion bot sometime in mid-2025, but mere weeks before the year ends Mirumi is finally available for preorder through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.

Yukai Engineering originally expected Mirumi to be priced at around $70, but a lot has happened around the world since January, and the tiny bot will actually cost about twice that. The earliest Kickstarter backers can preorder Mirumi with gray, pink, or ivory fur for 18,360 yen, or around $118 with discounts. If you drag your feet, the crowdfunding pricing will end up at 21,803 yen, or around $140, but that’s still discounted from the full retail pricing, which is expected to be $150.

Following the Kickstarter there will be a bit more waiting, as Mirumi isn’t expected to ship until April 2026 at the earliest, but as with any crowdfunded product, it’s not a bad idea to brace yourself for delays.

Instead of cleaning floors or mowing your lawn, Mirumi is positioned as a companion robot, but one that will benefit others more often. Using a long pair of arms the robot attaches to bag straps or handles and appears to curiously look around by turning and cocking its head from side to side.

Using a distance sensor Mirumi can also detect nearby people and appear to focus its gaze and attention on them, but will also simulate the bashful response of an infant by shaking and turning its head away when someone suddenly appears or touches it. Mirumi isn’t overpacked with functionality, and that could be its biggest appeal. It just hangs out with you and quietly watches the world go by while occasionally brightening someone’s day with just a look.