Technology

Winter storms can knock out your tech fast: Prepare now

Published

1 month ago

January 25, 2026

Winter storms can knock out your tech fast: Prepare now

States prepare for massive winter storm

FOX Weather meteorologist Bayne Froney joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ in Dallas, Texas as the first signs of a massive winter storm begin to show. Texas is preparing accordingly following the devastating winter storm five years ago.

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Weather forecasters are warning that a major winter storm is expected to impact large portions of the United States starting Friday. Forecasts call for snow, freezing rain and ice stretching from Texas and the Southern Plains through the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and into the Northeast. This system is concerning because it combines ice accumulation, gusty winds and plunging temperatures. In many regions, especially across the South and parts of the Mid-Atlantic, infrastructure is not designed to handle prolonged ice events.

That increases the risk of extended power outages and disrupted cell service. When the grid goes down, everyday tech becomes critical. Phones, alerts, vehicles and apps may be your only connection to updates and emergency help. Preparing now matters far more than reacting later.

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RUSSIAN WINTER STRIKE LEAVES NEARLY 800K HOMES WITHOUT POWER AND HEAT IN UKRAINE’S DNIPRO REGION

Ice storms can take down power lines fast, leaving homes without electricity and cell service for hours or even days. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Why ice storms are especially disruptive

Ice storms cause more damage than most people expect. Unlike snow, ice sticks to everything and adds significant weight. Ice builds up on trees and power lines, causing branches to snap and lines to fall. Utility crews often cannot begin repairs until conditions improve, which delays restoration. Forecasters at Fox Weather warn that freezing rain across the South and interior Southeast could be particularly damaging, while snow and wind farther north may slow emergency response.

Even if cell towers remain standing, networks often overload during severe weather. When thousands of people try to call at once, connections fail. Texts and alerts usually have a better chance of getting through. That is why you should assume you may be offline longer than expected.

Immediate tech actions to take before the storm hits

These steps are simple, but timing matters. Do them before the weather conditions worsen.

Charge devices and prepare backup power

Charge all phones, laptops, tablets and battery packs
Fully charge wearable devices like smartwatches
Turn on Low Power Mode on phones now
Lower screen brightness to extend battery life, and check out these other tips to keep your phone battery charged longer
Make sure you have a reliable portable charger on hand, like those highlighted in our 5 best portable chargers for emergencies on Cyberguy.com
For outages that could last days in this winter storm, a good generator can keep your home powered the longest and safest
Reliable lighting matters during storms and blackouts. Invest in a high-output flashlight and hats with built-in lights that can be especially useful when visibility is poor
Keep a battery-powered weather radio on hand so you can receive emergency updates even if power and cell service go out

A fully charged phone, smart power settings and a reliable portable charger can keep you connected early in an outage while longer-term home power solutions carry you through the days ahead.

A woman walks with an umbrella in the rain in the Manhattan borough of New York, Feb. 5, 2014. (REUTERS/Carlo Allegri)

Plan for offline communication and limited cell service

Download offline maps for your area.
Save emergency contacts locally on your device.
Write down key phone numbers on paper.
Plan to text instead of calling if networks are congested. Text messages use less bandwidth and often go through when calls fail.
Cold weather can also make phones harder to use. Touchscreen-compatible winter gloves let you stay connected without exposing your hands to the cold.

Set up a family check-in plan before the storm

Agree on specific check-in times
Choose one out-of-area contact everyone can message
Avoid constant calling, which can overload networks

Clear expectations reduce panic and unnecessary phone use

Make sure emergency alerts are enabled

Emergency alerts can reach your phone even when apps and social media cannot. They are designed to cut through network congestion and deliver critical warnings.

How to turn on emergency alerts on iPhone

Open Settings
Tap Notifications
Scroll to Government Alerts
Turn on Emergency Alerts
Enable Always Play Sound
Turn on Imminent Threat Alerts under Enhanced Safety Alerts

US POWER CRUNCH LOOMS AS OKLO CEO SAYS GRID CAN’T KEEP UP WITHOUT NEW INVESTMENT

Ice storms add heavy weight to trees and power lines, causing widespread damage and outages that can overwhelm repair crews and communication networks for longer than expected. (AP/Craig Ruttle)

How to turn on emergency alerts on Android

Settings may vary, depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

Open Settings
Tap Safety and emergency or Notifications
Select Wireless emergency alerts
Turn on Severe threats and Extreme threats
Enable Allow alerts and Alert sound

On some phones, you may also see options for Public safety messages or Emergency alerts, which should be turned on. These alerts may include evacuation notices, shelter updates and severe weather warnings.

Both iPhone and Android let you preview alert sounds and settings in these menus, so take a moment to test them now and make sure alerts are loud enough before severe weather hits.

Know how to use Emergency SOS on your phone

If you need help during a winter storm, Emergency SOS can contact emergency services even when you cannot unlock your phone or make a normal call. Set this up now. Do not wait until you are stressed, cold or without power.

How to set up and use Emergency SOS on iPhone

Open Settings
Tap Emergency SOS
Turn on Call with Hold and Release or Call with 5 Button Presses
Scroll down and add emergency contacts

To activate Emergency SOS during an emergency, press and hold the side button and a volume button, or quickly press the side button five times, depending on your settings.

How to set up and use Emergency SOS on Android

Settings may vary, depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer

Open Settings
Tap Safety and emergency or Privacy and safety
Select Emergency SOS
Turn on Use Emergency SOS
Choose how SOS is triggered, such as Require to swipe to call
Add emergency contacts and medical information by clicking Emergency sharing settings

On many Android phones, pressing the power button five times will trigger Emergency SOS. Emergency SOS can call for help, share your location and alert emergency contacts when conditions are dangerous.

If cell towers go down during this storm, features like Emergency SOS can still help you reach emergency services. Our guide explains in more detail how these lifesaving settings work.

Apps you should have installed ahead of time

The right apps can deliver critical updates when power is out, cell networks are strained and social media is unreliable. Install and set these up before the storm arrives.

Weather and severe alert apps

Fox Weather app: A trusted option for real-time forecasts, winter storm alerts, radar tracking and location-based notifications. Make sure local alerts are turned on.
MyRadar Weather Radar: A highly rated radar app that shows storm movement in real time and sends push alerts when severe weather is approaching your area.
Storm Shield Severe Weather App: Delivers National Weather Service alerts based on your exact location, similar to NOAA weather radio warnings, with clear push notifications for winter storms and ice events.
NOAA Weather Radio apps (iPhone and Android): These apps stream official NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts, providing continuous updates, watches and warnings directly from the National Weather Service. Weather radio streams often remain available even during major outages.

Using more than one weather app can give you redundancy if one service is delayed or overloaded.

Utility and outage tracking apps

Your local power utility app: Most utilities offer apps that allow you to report outages, view outage maps and track restoration progress in real time.
FEMA App: Provides official weather alerts, disaster resources, shelter locations and safety guidance during severe weather events.

These apps can confirm outages, provide restoration updates and reduce unnecessary calls to utilities when systems are overwhelmed.

Do not overlook vehicle tech and preparedness

Your vehicle may become a critical resource during extended outages.

Prep your car before conditions worsen

Fill your gas tank early. A full tank allows you to run the engine briefly for heat or charging if needed.
Keep a phone charger in the car.
Store a fully charged portable power bank in the glove box or center console. This gives you emergency phone power if your car battery dies or you cannot run the engine.
Download weather and road condition alerts.
Also, consider buying a Snow brush and ice scraper, jumper cables, a set of 6 LED Road Flares Emergency Lights and a First Aid Trauma Pack with QuikCloth, so you will not be caught off guard in an emergency.
There are also portable tech solutions designed to help you stay warm and powered during outages or roadside delays, including heated gear worth purchasing in advance.

Storms also bring scams and fraud attempts

Severe weather creates ideal conditions for scams. Power outages, delayed responses and anxiety make people more likely to trust messages that appear urgent or official.

Fake utility and restoration scams

Scammers often impersonate electric, gas or water utilities.

Texts or calls claiming your power will be restored sooner if you pay
Messages warning service will be shut off unless you act immediately
Spoofed phone numbers that look like your local utility

What to know: Utilities do not charge fees to restore power and do not demand payment by text, gift cards or apps.

Emergency aid and disaster relief scams

These scams spike right after storms hit.

Messages promising emergency funds, fuel vouchers or hotel assistance
Fake charity links claiming to help storm victims
Social media posts asking for donations using stolen images

What to know: Legitimate aid is announced through official government or well-known nonprofit channels, not unsolicited messages.

Fake delivery, fuel and repair service scams

Storms disrupt normal services, which scammers exploit.

Links claiming fuel delivery is available in your area
Messages about delayed packages that require confirmation
Ads for emergency home repairs that ask for upfront payment

What to know: Do not click links or pay deposits without verifying the company independently.

Charging your devices and lining up backup power now can make the difference between staying informed during an outage and being cut off once the storm hits. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Account takeover and identity theft attempts

Storm chaos makes it easier for attackers to slip through unnoticed.

Password reset emails pretending to be from banks or retailers
Login alerts asking you to “secure” your account immediately
Calls claiming suspicious activity that push you to share codes

What to know: Never share one-time codes or login details, even if the message looks legitimate.

How to protect yourself before and during the storm

Taking a few precautions now can help you avoid costly mistakes when outages, delays and scam messages start piling up.

1) Slow down and verify every urgent message

Scammers rely on panic. If a message pressures you to act fast, stop and verify it through a trusted source.

2) Avoid clicking links in unsolicited messages and use strong antivirus software

Go directly to official websites or apps instead of tapping links in texts or emails. Keep your operating system up to date, and use strong antivirus software to block malicious links and fake websites.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

3) Lock down accounts before outages hit

Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on email, banking, and utility accounts so stolen passwords cannot be used alone.

4) Reduce your exposure with a data removal service

Many storm scams work because criminals already have your phone number, address or email. Using a data removal service to opt out of data broker sites can reduce how easily scammers target you during emergencies.

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.

5) Never pay to restore power or receive aid

Utilities and government agencies do not charge fees to restore service or release emergency assistance.

When power and internet access are limited, it is harder to verify messages quickly. That makes preparation just as important as awareness. A little skepticism now can prevent financial loss and identity theft when help is hardest to reach.

Take my quiz: How safe is your online security?

Think your devices and data are truly protected? Take this quick quiz to see where your digital habits stand. From passwords to Wi-Fi settings, you’ll get a personalized breakdown of what you’re doing right and what needs improvement. Take my Quiz here: Cyberguy.com.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Winter storms can turn small tech decisions into critical ones. Ice, power outages and overloaded cell networks can leave people cut off faster than expected, especially in regions not built for prolonged winter weather. Preparing your devices, alerts, vehicles and accounts ahead of time gives you more control when conditions worsen. It also reduces panic and limits your exposure to scams that thrive during emergencies. A little planning now can make a big difference when help is harder to reach.

Have you taken steps to prepare your tech for this winter storm, or did this checklist highlight something you still need to do? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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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.

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Technology

Meta’s AI glasses reportedly send sensitive footage to human reviewers in Kenya

Published

2 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Meta’s AI glasses reportedly send sensitive footage to human reviewers in Kenya

Meta’s AI-powered smart glasses could be sending sensitive footage to human reviewers in Nairobi, Kenya, according to an investigation by the Swedish outlets Svenska Dagbladet and Göteborgs-Posten. The report, which was published last week, claims Meta contractors in Kenya have seen videos captured with the smart glasses that show “bathroom visits, sex and other intimate moments.”

So far, at least one proposed class action lawsuit accusing Meta of violating false advertising and privacy laws has emerged in response to Svenska Dagbladet’s reporting, citing the company’s claim that its smart glasses are designed for privacy:

By affirmatively claiming that the Glasses were designed to protect privacy, Meta assumed a duty to disclose material facts that would inform a reasonable consumer’s decision to purchase the product. Instead, Meta hid the alarming reality: that use of the AI features results in a stranger halfway around the world watching the most private moments of a person’s life.

The Nairobi-based contractors interviewed by Svenska Dagbladet are AI annotators, meaning they label images, text, or audio, with the goal of helping AI systems make sense of the data they’re training on. “We see everything — from living rooms to naked bodies,” one worker says, according to Svenska Dagbladet. “Meta has that type of content in its databases.”

A former Meta employee reportedly tells Svenska Dagbladet that faces in annotation data are blurred automatically, though workers in Kenya say this “does not always work as intended,” and some faces are still visible. Another person reportedly tells the outlet that a wearer’s bank cards are sometimes seen in the footage they review as well.

Meta’s Ray-Ban and Oakley smart glasses come with a built-in AI assistant capable of answering questions about what a user can see. The glasses have soared in popularity in recent years, despite growing concerns over privacy and surveillance.

EssilorLuxottica, the eyewear giant that Meta works with to develop the camera-equipped glasses, sold over 7 million of the AI-powered glasses in 2025 — more than tripling its sales in 2023 and 2024 combined. Last year, Meta made some changes to its privacy policy that keep Meta AI with camera use enabled on your glasses “unless you turn off ‘Hey Meta.’” It also stopped allowing wearers to opt out of storing their voice recordings in the cloud.

As reported by Svenska Dagbladet, the Kenya-based AI reviewers work with transcriptions as well, ensuring Meta AI provides the correct answer to the questions users ask aloud. In a statement to The Verge, Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton says media captured by its smart glasses “stays on the user’s device” unless they choose to share it with other people or Meta.

“When people share content with Meta AI, we sometimes use contractors to review this data for the purpose of improving people’s experience, as many other companies do,” Clayton says. “We take steps to filter this data to protect people’s privacy and to help prevent identifying information from being reviewed.”

Technology

Inside Microsoft’s AI content verification plan

Published

2 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Inside Microsoft’s AI content verification plan

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Scroll your social media feed for five minutes. You will likely see something that looks real but feels slightly off.

Maybe it is a viral protest image that turns out to be altered. Maybe it is a slick video pushing a political narrative. Or maybe it is an artificial intelligence voice clip that spreads before anyone stops to question it.

AI-enabled deception now permeates everyday life. And Microsoft says it has a technical blueprint to help verify where online content comes from and whether it has been altered.

Microsoft’s proposal would attach digital fingerprints and metadata to help trace where online content originated. (YorVen/Getty Images)

Why AI-generated content feels more convincing today

AI tools can now generate hyperrealistic images, clone voices and create interactive deepfakes that respond in real time. What once required a studio or intelligence agency now requires a browser window. That shift changes the stakes.

It is no longer about spotting obvious fakes. It is about navigating a digital world where manipulated content blends into your daily scroll. Even when viewers know something is AI-generated, they often engage with it anyway. Labels alone do not automatically stop belief or sharing. So Microsoft is proposing something more structured.

How Microsoft’s AI content verification system works

To understand Microsoft’s approach, picture the process of authenticating a famous painting. An owner would carefully document its history and record every change in possession. Experts might add a watermark that machines can detect, but viewers cannot see. They could also generate a mathematical signature based on the brush strokes.

Now Microsoft wants to bring that same discipline to digital content. The company’s research team evaluated 60 different tool combinations, including metadata tracking, invisible watermarks and cryptographic signatures. Researchers also stress-tested those systems against real-world scenarios such as stripped metadata, subtle pixel changes or deliberate tampering.

Rather than deciding what is true, the system focuses on origin and alteration. It is designed to show where the content started and whether someone changed it along the way.

What AI content verification can and cannot prove

Before relying on these tools, you need to understand their limits. Verification systems can flag whether someone altered content, but they cannot judge accuracy or interpret context. They also cannot determine meaning. For example, a label may indicate that a video contains AI-generated elements. It will not explain whether the broader narrative is misleading.

Even so, experts believe widespread adoption could reduce deception at scale. Highly skilled actors and some governments may still find ways around safeguards. However, consistent verification standards could reduce a significant share of manipulated posts. Over time, that shift could reshape the online environment in measurable ways.

Why AI labels create a business dilemma for social platforms

Here is where the tension becomes real. Platforms depend on engagement. Engagement often feeds on outrage or shock. And AI-generated content can drive both. If clear AI labels reduce clicks, shares or watch time, companies face a difficult choice. Transparency can clash with business incentives.

FAKE ERROR POPUPS ARE SPREADING MALWARE FAST

Invisible watermarks and cryptographic signatures could signal when images or videos have been altered. (Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Audits of major platforms already show inconsistent labeling of AI-generated posts. Some receive tags. Many slip through without disclosure.

Now, U.S. regulations are stepping in. California’s AI Transparency Act is set to require clearer disclosure of AI-generated material, and other states are considering similar rules. Lawmakers want stronger safeguards.

Still, implementation matters. If companies rush verification tools or apply them inconsistently, public trust could erode even faster.

The risk of incorrect AI labels and false flags

Researchers also warn about sociotechnical attacks. Imagine someone takes a real photo of a tense political event and modifies only a small portion of it. A weak detection system flags the entire image as AI-manipulated.

Now, a genuine image is treated as suspect. Bad actors could exploit imperfect systems to discredit real evidence. That is why Microsoft’s research stresses combining provenance tracking with watermarking and cryptographic signatures. Precision matters. Overreach could undermine the entire effort.

How to protect yourself from AI-generated misinformation

While industry standards evolve, you still need personal safeguards.

1) Slow down before sharing

If a post triggers a strong emotional reaction, pause. Emotional manipulation is often intentional.

2) Check the original source

Look beyond reposts and screenshots. Find the first publication or account.

3) Cross-check major claims

Search for coverage from reputable outlets before accepting dramatic narratives.

4) Verify suspicious images and videos

Use reverse image search tools to see where a photo first appeared. If the earliest version looks different, someone may have altered it.

5) Be skeptical of shocking voice recordings

AI tools can clone voices using short samples. If a recording makes explosive claims, wait for confirmation from trusted outlets.

6) Avoid relying on a single feed

Algorithms show you more of what you already engage with. Broader sources reduce the risk of getting trapped in manipulated narratives.

7) Treat labels as signals, not verdicts

An AI-generated tag offers context. It does not automatically make content harmful or false.

8) Keep devices and software updated

Malicious AI content sometimes links to phishing sites or malware. Updated systems reduce exposure.

Strengthen account security

Use strong, unique passwords and a reputable password manager to generate and store complex logins for you. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com. Also, enable multi-factor authentication where available. No system is perfect. But layered awareness makes you a harder target.

Experts say stronger AI labeling standards may reduce deception, but they cannot determine what is true. (iStock)

Take my quiz: How safe is your online security?

Kurt’s key takeaways

Microsoft’s AI content verification plan signals that the industry understands the urgency. The internet is shifting from a place where we question sources to a place where we question reality itself. Technical standards could reduce manipulation at scale. But they cannot fix human psychology. People often believe what aligns with their worldview, even when labels suggest caution. Verification may help restore some trust online. Yet trust is not built by code alone.

So here is the question. If every post in your feed came with a digital fingerprint and an AI label, would that actually change what you believe? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Technology

Did Live Nation punish a venue by taking Billie Eilish away?

Published

14 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Did Live Nation punish a venue by taking Billie Eilish away?

John Abbamondi had orders to let the CEO of Ticketmaster down easy.

In April 2021, Abbamondi was the CEO of BSE Global, the company that ran Brooklyn arena the Barclays Center. BSE Global’s existing Ticketmaster contract would expire at the end of September, and Abbamondi and his team had evaluated proposals from SeatGeek, AXS, and Ticketmaster. The economics of Ticketmaster offer, according to Abbamondi, “was nowhere near as good as the other two.” SeatGeek’s technology was “superior” to Ticketmaster’s on balance, on top of better financial terms including an equity stake in the company, the arena decided. It clinched their decision to go with a newer, smaller player in the field.

When Abbamondi called to break the news to Michael Rapino, the Live Nation Entertainment CEO, the meeting became tense — and a recording of it came back to haunt Rapino in this month’s Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly trial. Abbamondi was one of two witnesses who took the stand Wednesday, alongside Mitch Helgerson, the chief revenue officer for the Minnesota Wild hockey team. Both men said that when they considered switching their venues’ ticketing platform from Ticketmaster, executives there threatened them with the loss of vital Live Nation-promoted concerts. It’s the behavior, the Justice Department and 40 state and district attorneys general say, of a monopolist — a charge Live Nation-Ticketmaster denies.

Abbamondi, identifying the voices on the 2021 call to a Manhattan jury Wednesday, said that “the nervous guy was me and the angry guy was Michael.” The few minutes played in court captures an exchange that went “sideways,” as Abbamondi put it, when he tried to thread a delicate needle: rejecting Ticketmaster’s services while trying to hold its parent company Live Nation to a separate contract promising to fill Barclays Center with concerts. At one point, Rapino dropped an F-bomb while discussing his frustration over a contractual dispute. He told Abbamondi he believed they were never planning to renew with Ticketmaster in the first place.

Rapino reminded Abbamondi about the new UBS Arena in Queens, which could draw more Live Nation-promoted shows away from Barclays. Though Ticketmaster theoretically operates separately from Live Nation, Abbamondi took this as a “not-so-veiled” threat — cut off the left arm, and the right arm would swing back. Abbamondi hung up feeling like he’d failed to “do my job there, which was to land the plane smoothly.”

The venue “saw a dramatic decline in Live Nation shows that were booked at the arena”

Abbamondi still signed the deal with SeatGeek, which began in October 2021. Then, he testified, the venue “saw a dramatic decline in Live Nation shows that were booked at the arena.” Artists were just beginning to fill stadiums again after the start of the covid pandemic, including Billie Eilish, who’d had to cancel shows in New York venues including Barclays in 2020. Normally, Abbamondi would have expected Live Nation to rebook her show there next time she was on tour. But when she began touring again in 2021, she booked at the new venue Rapino had warned about — the UBS Arena. When Barclays asked about it, they were told it was the “artist’s decision.” Other promoters, he said, hadn’t reduced their bookings at Barclays by nearly as much.

In 2022, mere months into the SeatGeek contract, Abbamondi was fired. Less than a year later, Barclays announced it was going back to Ticketmaster.

Ticketmaster, in the witnesses’ telling, wasn’t the best option for a ticketing vendor, but Live Nation’s power as a concert promoter forced their hand. In the case of the Minnesota Wild, which played at the then-Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Helgerson said the fear of losing Live Nation shows was a large driver behind its decision to stick with Ticketmaster — even though it found it would make $1 million a year more switching to SeatGeek.

The arena was already engaged in tight competition for concerts with the Target Center across the river in Minneapolis, a similarly-sized venue. So when the Wild kicked off negotiations over renewing its contract with Ticketmaster in 2018, the ticketing service knew how to hit them where it would hurt. When the Wild staff mentioned they were planning to consider a proposal from SeatGeek too, a Ticketmaster executive told them that Live Nation could move all of their shows to the Target Center if they switched ticketing vendors, Helgerson testified. “We took it as a credible threat,” he said. “Losing those shows would be almost catastrophic to our organization.”

“We took it as a credible threat”

To ease the risk, SeatGeek offered what it called “Live Nation retaliation insurance” — a promise to compensate the arena for concerts booked at the Target Center on dates Xcel had open. SeatGeek offered the arena a higher upfront bonus and fee share that overall would make the venue an additional $1 million a year compared to Ticketmaster’s offer. But even retaliation insurance couldn’t make up for the loss of the “vibrance of the venue” and the impact on its own employees should Live Nation pull its shows. Ticketmaster’s alleged threat created an “insurmountable challenge.” The venue signed another contract with Ticketmaster.

There were complicating factors in both these cases, which Live Nation pointed out on cross-examination. It was both risky and a lot of work to move to a new ticketing platform. Like switching any enterprise software, it would take a while for staff to get up to speed, and Abbamondi admitted that while SeatGeek’s technology gave them more options over things like how to price individual seats, it was less user-friendly. An executive whom Helgerson worked with worried that SeatGeek’s lack of an interface for concert promoters at the time would be an obstacle to getting them to bring shows to the arena. Abbamondi also said he’s personal friends with SeatGeek’s co-founder, and he testified he wasn’t fired because of the SeatGeek deal — he was given two other reasons.

SeatGeek offered what it called “Live Nation retaliation insurance”

There was also a separate legal dispute between the Barclays Center and Ticketmaster, which appeared to be at least part of the reason that the call between Abbamondi and Rapino broke down. Barclays believed their contract with Ticketmaster would expire at the end of September 2021, as originally stated. But Ticketmaster believed that because the Covid pandemic shortened the regular NBA season, a clause in the contract had been triggered to extend that contract another year. On top of that, in an earlier, unrecorded call between Abbamondi and Rapino, the Ticketmaster CEO suggested that they should be given the chance to counter any offer Barclays received. Abbamondi said he tried his best to respond in a “noncommittal” way, but the implication was that Rapino might have seen it differently.

The jury will have to decide whether the threats Abbamondi and Helgerson described were really as menacing as they believe, one of many factors that will determine whether Live Nation-Ticketmaster should face penalties — including the possibility of a breakup.

In one text exchange, Live Nation executive Patti Kim, a friend of Abbamondi’s, wrote that he should “think about the bigger relationship” with Live Nation, not just who’s writing the bigger check. She added a winky face. “That was my friend saying, ‘you know what I mean,’” Abbamondi said. This week, the jury is expected to get the chance to hear from the rival allegedly offering those bigger checks: SeatGeek CEO Jack Groetzinger.

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