Technology

Rep. Brad Tabke has introduced HF 4205, a statewide bill to sharply restrict how automatic license plate reader (ALPR) data is collected, stored and shared by Minnesota law enforcement and private vendors, a move aimed squarely at practices exposed during Operation Metro Surge in the Twin Cities. Announced at a St. Paul press conference with the ACLU of Minnesota, the proposal would centralize ALPR data at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, require that any data not tied to an active criminal investigation be deleted within 48 hours, and mandate warrants before out‑of‑state agencies can access Minnesota plate records. ACLU attorney John Boehler said public records show some agencies have essentially opened their LPR systems to federal and out‑of‑state users, resulting in more than 15,000 searches per day in January and February and over 425,000 searches at a single metro agency in six weeks, often without warrants or clear case ties. Residents who monitored ICE during Metro Surge told reporters they believe agents used license‑plate hits to track them to their homes, describing vehicles slowing down to photograph their houses as acts of intimidation. The bill would also impose new transparency and consent rules on private ALPR companies, banning sale or sharing of personal data without consent, a warrant or a court order, and is set for its first hearing in the House Judiciary Finance and Policy Committee.

The City of Minneapolis and the FBI are warning that scammers are targeting people with active city land-use permits and zoning applications by emailing fake invoices for "extra" fees and threatening delays or cancellations if they don’t pay immediately. Officials say they’ve identified at least 15 scam emails over the past year, with senders posing as city or county planning staff, copying Minneapolis branding, and using look‑alike addresses ending in @usa.com instead of the city’s official @minneapolismn.gov domain. The city stresses it will never demand payment via PayPal, wire transfer, gift cards or similar electronic methods, and says it has no confirmed victims so far in Minneapolis. Residents, developers and contractors who receive suspicious emails are urged not to click links or open attachments and to report the messages by calling 311. The FBI notes the scheme is part of a broader national trend of fraudsters piggy‑backing on legitimate government processes to shake down applicants for bogus fees.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says a computer error in its Minnesota Criminal History System (CHS) caused non‑public criminal history records for 595 people to be posted on the state’s public criminal‑history website for varying lengths of time. According to a BCA notice, the glitch occurred when CHS failed to recognize recent activity on certain records that contained non‑public items, allowing them to be copied to the public site; some third‑party vendors also obtained the data through records requests. The issue lasted roughly a month before being corrected on Feb. 25, 2026, but officials have not disclosed whose records were exposed or exactly what information was revealed. The BCA says it will produce a formal report on the incident and is directing anyone who wants a copy to email BCA.DataResponse@state.mn.us with their contact information. For Twin Cities residents whose employment, housing and licensing often hinge on background checks that rely on this system, the episode raises serious questions about data integrity and what remedies, if any, will be offered to people whose supposedly non‑public records were briefly made public.

A new Minnesota House bill, HF 3785, would reclassify many high‑powered electric "e-motos" as motor vehicles and effectively regulate them as motorcycles, tightening rules that directly affect how they’re sold and ridden in Twin Cities streets and trails. Sponsored by Rep. Tom Dippel (R–Cottage Grove) and heard Wednesday in the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee, the measure would redefine 'motor vehicle' to include battery‑operated electric motorcycles not originally built for on‑road use, triggering licensing and enforcement requirements under existing motorcycle statutes. The bill would also sharply limit the machines themselves in Minnesota, cutting allowable top speed from 30 to 20 mph, dropping maximum weight from 500 pounds to 100 pounds, and requiring throttle motors between 750 and 1,500 watts, while banning operation and sale of non‑compliant e‑motos unless they’re third‑party certified. Hastings resident Janet Stotko, who says a 14‑year‑old on an e‑bike hit her from behind at about 25 mph last summer, told lawmakers the crash gave her a traumatic brain injury and left her with no charges filed, no insurance coverage and essentially no legal recourse because e‑motos aren’t clearly defined in law. The Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota backed the bill as a practical way to use existing statutes to rein in a fast‑growing class of electric dirt‑bike‑style machines that police say they’ve struggled to regulate, and the proposal was laid over for possible inclusion in a broader transportation omnibus, with any new rules taking effect Aug. 1, 2026.

Lyft has reached a settlement with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights in a lawsuit alleging that its drivers repeatedly refused rides to a blind woman because of her service dog, a clear violation of disability-rights law if proven. Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and the Minnesota Disability Law Center brought the case in 2021 on behalf of client Tori Andres, documenting at least six instances where she and her service dog, Alfred, were stranded by Lyft drivers while heading to medical appointments. The settlement terms have not yet been released; MDHR says it will outline details at an 11:30 a.m. news conference in St. Paul that FOX 9 plans to stream live. For Twin Cities residents who rely on ride-hailing to reach work, school, or the doctor — especially blind and low-vision riders — this deal will signal how aggressively the state is willing to police discrimination by gig platforms and what concrete protections and enforcement mechanisms will exist going forward.

Minnesota legislators are considering a DFL-backed bill that would outlaw cryptocurrency ATMs statewide, a move police say is needed because the machines have become a prime tool for scammers and criminals to move cash out of reach. Law enforcement from around the state told lawmakers that residents have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars by being steered to these kiosks, with Faribault police alone tallying about $500,000 in crypto ATM scam losses since 2022 and a Woodbury detective describing a victim who made at least ten Bitcoin transactions over six months. There are currently about 350 crypto kiosks in Minnesota, many in gas stations and grocery stores that serve Twin Cities neighborhoods, and a major operator, CoinFlip — which runs 50 of them — is lobbying against an outright ban while saying it would support strict refund rules for fraud victims and tighter controls. The push comes even after lawmakers passed a weaker regulatory law in 2024 and after Attorney General Keith Ellison publicly warned of rising crypto ATM scams last year, reinforcing that the problem is escalating rather than fading. If the ban passes, it would cut off one of the easier on‑ramps to cryptocurrency for metro residents, while forcing scammers to shift back to other channels like wire transfers and gift cards that don’t happen to be in the political crosshairs right now.

A Minnesota House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee on Monday voted down HF 1335, a bill by Rep. Brad Tabke (DFL–Shakopee) that would have let the Department of Public Safety roll out electronic versions of driver’s licenses and state IDs for use on smartphones. Tabke pitched the system as the ID equivalent of Apple Pay or Google Pay and noted that 14 other states already use similar technology, but the proposal failed to clear the committee, effectively stalling it for this session. The panel also rejected an amendment that would have limited eligibility for electronic credentials to people who could prove U.S. citizenship or lawful presence, a move clearly aimed at tightening ID access in the middle of highly charged immigration politics. For Minneapolis–St. Paul residents, the vote means no digital ID option is coming anytime soon — you’re still stuck with the plastic card in your wallet even as REAL ID enforcement bites at airports — and it signals that lawmakers are nowhere near consensus on how much to modernize IDs or who should be allowed to hold them.

Minnesota legislators are advancing a slate of artificial‑intelligence bills that would directly affect how police, tech companies and insurers operate in the Twin Cities, including new limits on 'reverse warrants' and children’s access to chatbots. In committee hearings Monday, Sen. Eric Lucero argued that reverse location and data warrants — where police use AI and bulk data to identify everyone in a given place at a given time — violate the Fourth Amendment’s intent, while law‑enforcement officials countered they’re essential for quickly finding suspects. A separate bill led by Sen. Erin Maye Quade would bar companies from letting minors use conversational chatbots after reports that some systems have steered young users toward self‑harm, eating disorders and suicide, though industry lobbyists like TechNet’s Jarrett Catlin are pushing for narrower rules focused on harmful content and crisis‑response protocols instead of an outright ban. Other measures would prohibit insurers from quietly using AI to deny coverage, criminalize turning ordinary photos or video of Minnesotans into sexual or 'deepfake' content, and add a constitutional amendment clarifying that AI systems themselves have no free‑speech rights. None of the proposals has reached a floor vote yet, but if they pass, Minneapolis–St. Paul police departments, schools, hospitals and tech‑heavy employers will all have to rethink how they deploy AI tools in investigations, customer screening and kid‑facing products.

DFL lawmakers at the Minnesota Capitol are pushing two new bills that would ban "surveillance pricing"—AI tools that track individual shoppers and quietly charge them different prices for the same items—first in grocery stores and then across other businesses. The move follows FOX 9’s own test of the Cub Foods app, which found a frequent shopper in Minnesota was quoted higher prices on soy sauce, eggs and orange juice than an infrequent shopper at the same store, raising concerns that loyal Twin Cities customers are being penalized for their habits. Bill author Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (DFL–Eden Prairie) says legislators need to "set the framework" before corporations race ahead of regulation, while Rep. Andy Smith (DFL–Rochester) argues most Minnesotans will see such hidden price gaps as fundamentally unfair. Tech‑industry group Chamber of Progress counters there’s still no comprehensive evidence of systematic harm from personalized pricing, setting up an inevitable fight at committee between consumer‑protection advocates and companies that have invested heavily in dynamic pricing systems. For metro residents already squeezed by groceries and rent, the story is touching a nerve online: social feeds are full of shoppers swapping screenshots and warning that the old price tag is no longer a guarantee everyone in the aisle is paying the same thing.

Surveillance and bystander video from multiple Minnesota incidents — including the downtown Minneapolis killing of Alex Pretti — have repeatedly contradicted DHS/ICE and Border Patrol accounts, highlighting a broader credibility problem while most agents still lack body cameras (about 3,000 of 13,000 ICE agents were issued cameras). Footage and sworn eyewitness declarations say Pretti was pepper‑sprayed, thrown to the ground and engaged while holding a phone rather than a gun, prompting federal lawsuits, calls for an independent investigation, community protests and additional criminal and DOJ inquiries tied to clashes at the scene.

Amazon has formally terminated a partnership with a surveillance/data‑broker company after backlash to a Ring AI feature showcased in its Super Bowl ad, saying it "listened to customer feedback" and will not move forward with the specific cross‑camera search capability. Privacy and civil‑liberties groups — including Minnesota advocates who criticized the ad — have claimed credit online and called the reversal a precedent against privatized mass surveillance.

Gov. Tim Walz has authorized $1.2 million in state disaster assistance to help St. Paul recover from a July 2025 ransomware attack, saying the magnitude and complexity of the incident exceeded the city's response capacity. The funds are intended to restore critical IT systems, maintain continuity of vital city services and strengthen cybersecurity protections going forward.

An Associated Press records review, summarized here by FOX 9, found at least 17 ICE employees and contractors convicted and six more awaiting trial in recent years for crimes ranging from domestic abuse and drunk driving to child‑sex stings and corruption, even as Congress handed the agency $75 billion in 2025 to expand arrests and detention. The Minnesota‑specific case involves ICE employment‑eligibility auditor Alexander Back, 41, who’s on administrative leave after pleading not guilty to attempted enticement of a minor; Bloomington police say he showed up to a sting thinking he was meeting a 17‑year‑old prostitute and told officers, "I’m ICE, boys" when they closed in. Other cases include Cincinnati field‑office supervisor Samuel Saxon, jailed on charges he strangled and brutally abused his girlfriend; Chicago officer Guillermo Diaz‑Torres, accused of crashing his car and passing out drunk with a government gun inside; officer Scott Deiseroth, caught driving drunk with his kids and trying to lean on his badge; and supervisor Koby Williams, now imprisoned after arriving at a Washington hotel in a government SUV packed with cash, booze, pills and Viagra to meet what he thought was a 13‑year‑old girl. The AP also documents a broader pattern of ICE workers at contract facilities abusing detainees and vulnerable people in their custody, raising sharp questions about how thoroughly the agency is vetting and policing its own ranks at the same time it is running a massive, error‑ridden surge across Minneapolis–St. Paul. For Twin Cities residents watching a few thousand federal agents swarm their streets, this isn’t an abstract national scandal — it goes straight to whether they can trust the people who now have the power to batter down doors, haul off kids, or shoot someone and write it up as "self‑defense."

In its first month Minnesota’s Paid Family and Medical Leave drew nearly 12,000 early applications (11,883), with DEED reporting 6,393 applications reviewed so far and roughly two‑thirds approved, while projecting about 130,000 users in year one and budgeting roughly $1.6 billion staffed by ~400 state employees. DEED says the portal and contact center are holding up and has rolled out layered fraud controls — LoginMN ID verification with a live selfie, mandatory provider certification and EHR checks, unemployment‑insurance data matching, analytics, random audits and a program‑integrity unit to track complex or suspicious claims.

Police on the Highway 7 corridor from St. Louis Park to St. Bonifacius say fatal crashes on that stretch fell from five in 2024 to zero in 2025 after they deployed an AI‑equipped orange trailer to spot distracted drivers and seatbelt violations. The South Lake Minnetonka Police Department and neighboring agencies used the system to capture real‑time photos of drivers on their phones or unbelted, feeding officers more than 1,500 stops in a year — a 300% jump over the previous year — while also running social‑media campaigns and student‑made PSAs about traffic safety. Serious‑injury crashes dropped by half, from an average of six per year to three, which officers say they can see in day‑to‑day patrols as they now encounter far fewer motorists visibly on their phones. The work was funded by a $451,000 grant that ran out in June, and the Highway 7 Safety Coalition — a group of more than a half‑dozen west‑metro agencies — is now trying to secure new money to keep the stepped‑up enforcement going. The program shows how automated enforcement, combined with visible policing and education, can change driver behavior on a dangerous suburban highway without relying solely on traditional speed traps.

Federal immigration and HSI agents operating under the Metro Surge are using systems like HSI’s FALCON and commercial data streams—app‑location feeds, ad‑tech identifiers, cell‑tower pings, automated license‑plate readers and brokered records—to map devices, vehicles and “patterns of life” across Minneapolis–Saint Paul, including targeted searches in neighborhoods with Somali and Latino residents. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has issued a consumer alert advising technical precautions and invoking the new Consumer Data Privacy Act to seek disclosure or deletion of some brokered data, while officials and experts warn there are major information gaps about what DHS is accessing and limits to how much deletion or privacy measures can blunt surveillance once data are ingested.

TSA will charge a $45 Confirm.ID fee, effective Feb. 1, 2026, for travelers who do not present acceptable identification (such as a REAL ID, passport or trusted traveler card); the fee covers a 10-day travel period and temporary driver’s licenses are not accepted. TSA urges travelers to pay online before arriving — airport payment options and signage will be available but delays are expected — and warns that paying the fee does not guarantee identity verification or boarding, saying the charge shifts costs from taxpayers to travelers.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled about 13,200 Isla Rae magnetic wireless phone chargers sold at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls nationwide between June 2024 and November 2025, warning they can explode while in use and pose fire and burn hazards. The recalled RM5PBM model power banks, sold in white, pink and purple for about $15, are compatible with magnetic charging systems; Twin Cities customers are urged to stop using them, register at recallrtr.com/powerbank for a full refund, and dispose of the lithium‑ion devices through proper local hazardous‑waste channels rather than in household trash or standard recycling.

The FTC reached a settlement with Instacart over alleged deceptive practices, and the company is also facing a separate investigation into its pricing. Announced Dec. 18, 2025, the actions apply nationwide and could affect Instacart users in the Twin Cities through potential policy changes, refunds, or pricing adjustments.

On Dec. 11, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to block states from regulating artificial intelligence, centralizing oversight at the federal level. The move would constrain Minnesota and Twin Cities authorities from enacting or enforcing local AI rules affecting public agencies, schools and major employers, and could shift compliance requirements for metro businesses and governments.

U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison introduced a bipartisan federal bill to create an interagency task force, including the FCC, FTC and DOJ with private‑sector experts, to curb domestic and foreign robocalls that have plagued Minnesotans. If enacted, the task force would identify source countries of unlawful calls, explore international collaboration, and deliver recommendations to Congress within a year; Morrison hopes the House will take up the bill in January.

Daikin Applied Americas announced plans to build a $163 million research-and-development facility in the Twin Cities, focusing on advanced cooling needs driven by the growth of artificial intelligence and cloud computing. The project adds a major corporate investment to the metro’s tech and manufacturing ecosystem; further details on site, timeline and hiring were not disclosed in the preview.

The FAA has selected Peraton to lead a multi‑year overhaul of the nation’s air‑traffic control systems, a move with implications for Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and travelers across the Twin Cities. Announced in a Dec. 5 TwinCities.com report, the award positions Peraton to manage core modernization work the FAA says is needed to improve safety, reliability and capacity.

BAE Systems secured a $22 million U.S. Navy contract that could grow to as much as $317 million, with engineering and program support to be performed in the Twin Cities. The award brings new defense-related work to the metro and could impact staffing and operations at BAE’s local facilities.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 1, 2025 approved a new type of prescription eyeglasses designed to slow the progression of nearsightedness in children, authorizing nationwide marketing that includes the Twin Cities. The decision gives Minnesota families and eye‑care providers a federally cleared option intended to reduce the rate at which pediatric myopia worsens.

Airbus ordered urgent software fixes for A320-family aircraft following a flight-control incident. The company says most jets have now been updated, with fewer than 100 planes worldwide still awaiting the required patch.

Washington County said Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, that its emergency alert system was the target of a cyberattack, prompting an investigation into the impact on public warning capabilities. Officials are assessing the scope of the incident and working to restore full alert functionality while communicating updates to residents.

After an April ruling that parts of Google's ad‑tech business constitute an illegal monopoly, Judge Leonie Brinkema held an 11‑day remedies trial this fall and heard closing arguments Friday in Alexandria, Virginia, with a ruling expected early next year. The DOJ urged structural divestitures, calling Google a "recidivist monopolist," while Google called such remedies legally unprecedented and risky for a system that handles roughly 55 million ad requests per second, citing AI‑driven market changes as a reason for caution and DOJ witnesses warning about subtle algorithm manipulation; for context, a separate search case saw Judge Amit Mehta reject a proposed Chrome divestiture and order reforms seen as relatively lenient.

Waymo has begun mapping and early testing in Minneapolis with a fleet of "less than 10" Jaguar I‑PACE and Zeekr RT vehicles driven by humans, using its sixth‑generation Waymo Driver and self‑cleaning sensors tuned for snow and ice after winter‑prep testing in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, California’s Sierra Nevada and upstate New York. The company says no permits are required for this mapping phase but will work with state and city officials as it seeks commercial approval and plans a phased expansion model like San Francisco aiming for airport and freeway connectivity, drawing support from state House transportation co-chairs and MADD Minnesota.

Honda is recalling 256,603 Accord Hybrids from model years 2023–2025 nationwide because a software error can reset the integrated control module CPU while driving, potentially causing a sudden loss of drive power, according to NHTSA filings on Nov. 18, 2025. Dealers will reprogram the software free; owner letters are slated for Jan. 5, and Honda reports 832 warranty claims and no injuries to date. Twin Cities owners can verify VINs on NHTSA’s recall site or Honda’s lookup and call 1-888-234-2138 for assistance.

The St. Paul Police Department has implemented its first policy governing artificial intelligence, currently limiting use to automated transcription of interviews, and says it has no short‑term plan to adopt Axon’s Draft One report‑writing tool. Neighboring agencies differ: Eagan police use Draft One for non‑felonies (accepted by the Eagan City Attorney), while Hennepin and Dakota county attorneys won’t accept Draft One reports and Ramsey County requires notice when AI tools are used in investigations; civil oversight members and the ACLU of Minnesota are urging public input and guardrails.

Disney and YouTube TV reached a new carriage agreement that ended a blackout that began the night of Oct. 30 and lasted just over two weeks, with ABC, ESPN and other Disney‑owned channels including NatGeo, FX, Freeform, the SEC Network and ACC Network restored over the course of Nov. 14, the companies said. The sides traded public accusations during negotiations — Disney executives Alan Bergman, Dana Walden and Jimmy Pitaro said YouTube TV refused fair rates and was leveraging its dominance, while YouTube TV said Disney's terms were costly and would reduce consumer choice — after a prior 2021 disruption that lasted less than two days.

MLS owners voted Nov. 13 to move to a late‑summer‑to‑spring calendar starting in 2027, aligning with international leagues and adding a long winter break—changes that will affect Minnesota United’s home schedule at Allianz Field. Separately, Apple said all MLS matches will be available to Apple TV subscribers without the separate Season Pass starting in 2026, changing how Twin Cities fans access broadcasts.

AT&T agreed to a $177 million settlement over two data breaches disclosed in 2024, and impacted customers — including those in the Twin Cities — have until Dec. 18, 2025 to file claims. The deal, reached in U.S. District Court in Texas, covers a dark‑web leak of data from 2019 or earlier affecting about 7.6 million current and 65.4 million former account holders, and a separate breach of 2022 call/text records; payments of up to $5,000 or $2,500 are available depending on documented losses, with final court approval set for Jan. 15, 2026.

White Bear Lake–based Envoy Medical says the latest version of its fully implanted Acclaim hearing device has received FDA breakthrough device designation, placing it on a fast track and expanding clinical trials from 10 to 46 patients. The company, which earlier secured 2010 FDA approval for its Esteem implant, is targeting 2027 approval for the new system after roughly $250 million in cumulative investment.

The state’s Minnesota Forward Fund awarded $69 million across four projects — including a $50 million forgivable loan for North Wind’s $1 billion, 250,000‑sq.‑ft. Minnesota Aerospace Complex at the UMore site in Rosemount, $10 million for Niron Magnetics in Sartell, $5 million for the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul and $4 million for Hennepin Technical College (Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie). The Rosemount project, which UMN sold 60 acres for and will partner on, will house three hypersonic wind tunnels, is backed by an additional $99 million U.S. Army contract and $85 million in company investment, targets completion in 2030–31, and has drawn some campus protests over military ties.

Ramsey County delivered St. Paul’s ranked‑choice outcome around midnight using new open‑source tabulation software, while Minneapolis waited for a Hennepin County file and then followed a city‑ordinance process requiring manual write‑in review and spreadsheet‑based reallocation, finishing late Wednesday morning. Officials detailed exact timelines, software used, and legacy costs that shaped how quickly results were posted in each city.

Epic Games and Google told a federal judge in San Francisco they’ve reached a comprehensive settlement resolving Epic’s antitrust case over the Google Play Store, proposing terms that align with Judge James Donato’s prior order to open Android to competing app stores and lower fees. The sealed deal, which requires court approval, includes reducing in‑app payment commissions to 9%–20% and obligates distribution of rival third‑party app stores, following a Ninth Circuit decision upholding a jury verdict against Google and the Supreme Court’s refusal to block remedies.

Chrysler (Stellantis) is recalling more than 320,000 Jeep Wrangler 4xe (MY 2020–2025) and Grand Cherokee 4xe (MY 2022–2026) plug-in hybrids nationwide due to faulty batteries that can fail and catch fire, the NHTSA announced Nov. 4, 2025. Owners are instructed to park outside away from structures and not charge their vehicles until a remedy is determined; VINs will be searchable Nov. 6 and interim owner letters mail by Dec. 2 under recall 68C.

The Department of Homeland Security said U.S. Customs and Border Protection will require facial recognition and photo capture for all non‑U.S. citizens, including green‑card holders, at all ports of entry and departure starting Dec. 26, 2025. The Federal Register rule expands CBP’s existing program to land, sea, and air locations, authorizes biometric capture for children under 14 and adults over 79, and aims to combat document fraud and enhance border security.

After the Trump–Xi meeting, China’s Commerce Ministry said it would work with the U.S. to resolve TikTok-related issues but provided no details and said no ownership agreement was reached. That statement contrasts with U.S. reports — including Trump saying Xi approved a proposed U.S. ownership deal, the White House suggesting the transaction could be finalized in South Korea, and earlier plans for Oracle to manage TikTok’s U.S. algorithm — as negotiations continue under U.S. divestiture requirements.

President Donald Trump said Thursday after a 100‑minute meeting with China’s Xi Jinping in Busan that the U.S. will reduce tariffs on Chinese goods, lowering one tranche tied to fentanyl-chemical sales from 20% to 10% and cutting the combined rate from 57% to 47%. China agreed to allow rare earth exports and resume U.S. soybean purchases, and Trump said Nvidia will hold talks on advanced chip exports as both sides work toward a trade deal.

Microsoft reported on Oct. 29 that issues with its Azure Front Door content delivery network are causing access problems to Azure and services like Office 365, Minecraft, Xbox Live and Copilot. The company says it is investigating and mitigating; outage reports surged on Downdetector, and Microsoft acknowledged the incident on its status page and social media. The disruption could affect Twin Cities businesses and consumers that rely on Microsoft cloud services.

Private equity firm Francisco Partners will buy Minneapolis-based Apple device‑management software maker Jamf in a $2.2 billion deal announced Oct. 29, 2025. Jamf, which went public in 2020 at $26 per share, is a prominent Twin Cities tech employer; the transaction would transfer ownership of the company, with further details on closing and any local impacts not yet disclosed.

Tesla has issued a nationwide recall of more than 63,000 Cybertrucks because the front lights are too bright and can cause glare for other drivers, a violation of federal safety standards. Announced Oct. 23, 2025, the recall affects owners in the Twin Cities; Tesla says it will provide a free remedy (expected via software update) and notify owners and dealers.

A major Amazon Web Services outage on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, disrupted Snapchat, Ring and other online services nationwide, affecting users in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro. The scope extended across multiple AWS-reliant apps and sites, with service interruptions reported as restoration efforts proceeded.

Minneapolis‑based medtech HistoSonics raised $250 million to scale its noninvasive ultrasound tumor‑treatment platform globally, according to the Twin Cities Business Journal on Oct. 16, 2025. Investors include Bezos Expeditions and Thiel Capital, and the company says the financing will accelerate commercialization and expansion of its histotripsy technology, with implications for its Twin Cities operations.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports that Meta Platforms, Facebook’s parent company, has purchased additional land near its prospective data center site in Rosemount, Minnesota. The acquisition expands Meta’s footprint in Dakota County and signals continued movement on the potential data center project.

Plymouth-based sports-media company Prep Network announced its first private-equity investment Oct. 3, 2025, a deal the company says will fund expansion of its sports-media operations. The business, which began as a side hustle and now employs about 60 full-time staff, intends to use the capital to scale content, technology and distribution from its Twin Cities base.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, one of downtown Minneapolis’ largest employers, has mandated a full-time return to the office, reversing hybrid or remote arrangements. The policy goes further than other large organizations that have recently tightened remote-work rules, signaling a notable shift for the downtown workforce.

Amazon agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle the Federal Trade Commission’s lawsuit alleging it used deceptive tactics to enroll customers in Prime and made cancellation onerous. The deal resolves a case that a judge had ruled would go before a jury, averting a federal jury trial.

St. Paul has restored public internet access at its libraries and recreation centers after a cyberattack disrupted services, officials announced Sept. 18, 2025. Mayor Melvin Carter said the city did not pay a ransom in the summer ransomware attack and that response and cybersecurity upgrades have cost well over $1 million, with teams working around the clock to back up data and restore services.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that a Twin Cities dentist’s defamation lawsuit over a negative Google review may move forward, allowing the case to continue in district court. The decision clarifies that claims tied to allegedly false online statements can proceed past initial challenges in Minnesota.