• The National Security Agency recommended that the White House end the program started after the Sept. 11 attacks that collects data on U.S. phone calls and text message information because of the logistical and legal issues attached to it, according to people familiar with the matter. The NSA halted the use of the surveillance tools earlier this year over legal-compliance concerns, and its legal authority is set to expire this year unless Congress reauthorizes it. (The Wall Street Journal)

• SoftBank Corp. affiliate HAPSMobile is investing $125 million in Alphabet Inc. subsidiary Loon, which provides internet connections using high-altitude balloons, and the two companies said they will work together to promote the use of such technology as a communications solution to regulators and officials globally. The deal gives HAPSMobile a minority stake in Loon. (Bloomberg)

• Verizon Communications Inc. said it will deploy 5G Ultra Wireband service in 20 additional cities this year, with plans to be in more than 30 cities by next year. The service is already operating in Chicago and Minneapolis, and the new locations stretch across the country, from Atlanta to San Diego. (The Verge)

The World Just Witnessed the First Entirely Virtual Presidential Campaign
Adrian Karatnycky, Politico

Ukraine’s new president-elect made no public speeches, held no rallies and gave no press conferences. And now he’s about to be in charge of a geopolitical hotspot. What could go wrong?

EU backs AI regulation while China and US favour technology
Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan, Financial Times

The threat of artificial intelligence is not that robots are like us. The problem, according to scientists, is their inhumanity: we cannot make them care about justice or equality.

Ford Joins Amazon Investing in Electric Truck Maker Rivian
Keith Naughton and David Welch, Bloomberg

Ford Motor Co. will invest $500 million in Rivian Automotive Inc., aligning the maker of the industry-leading F-Series pickup line with an upstart that’s electrifying gas-guzzling trucks and sport utility vehicles.

Amazon and Facebook Listed Among the Dozen Most Dangerous Workplaces
Bryan Menegus, Gizmodo

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) today released its annual “dirty dozen” list of employers operating some of the most dangerous workplaces in America, and Amazon topped the list for the second year running. Among the newcomers, Facebook has now earned a spot on the list.

Mary Meeker Starts $1.25 Billion VC Fund After Leaving Kleiner Perkins
Sarah McBride, Bloomberg

Mary Meeker, a longtime fixture of Silicon Valley with her annual presentations on internet trends, is starting a new $1.25 billion venture fund. The former Morgan Stanley analyst co-founded her own venture capital firm, Bond Capital, after parting ways with Kleiner Perkins in September.

Here come the IPOs and here comes a proposal to tax them in San Francisco
Trisha Thadani, San Francisco Chronicle

A lot of San Francisco companies are preparing to go public, and one city supervisor wants to tax them to offset the “negative impacts” that the sudden injection of wealth is expected to have on the city.

Stocks Mixed as Traders Digest Flood of Earnings: Markets Wrap
Eddie van der Walt, Bloomberg

U.S. equity-index futures were mixed on Thursday and European shares edged lower as investors parsed a slew of earnings against a backdrop of global growth concerns. The dollar hit a four-month high.

Democrats and Republicans find a common cause: Whacking tech companies
Cristiano Lima, Politico

Ted Cruz and Elizabeth Warren have bonded over ripping Facebook. Massachusetts liberal Ed Markey has teamed up with Missouri conservative Josh Hawley to sponsor an online privacy bill.

Amazon Tests Program to Combat Patent Infringement
Priya Anand, The Information

Amazon is testing a new program that allows merchants on its marketplace who are victimized by cheap, patent-violating knockoffs to get them removed in a few months for just a few thousand dollars or less—much faster and cheaper than a typical legal process.

Peloton owners are pissed about bad music after copyright lawsuit
Natt Garun, The Verge

Ally F.’s favorite Peloton class, a 45-minute cycling course, used to crescendo to her perfect playlist: a pleasant warmup to the tunes of Sheryl Crow before a heart-pumping climb alongside Pat Benatar’s powerhouse vocals. But today, Ally is disappointed to find that classes now feature repeats of pop songs from the Now That’s What I Call Music catalog, ruining her workout vibes.

Verizon and T-Mobile agree much of the US won’t see the fast version of 5G
Sean Hollister, The Verge

5G is here, but not all 5G is equal — there’s the blazing-fast-but-barely-there millimeter wave 5G which has trouble covering wide areas and penetrating buildings, and the “sub-6GHz” frequency flavor of 5G that can be deployed more easily using existing spectrum.

Uber Chooses Citadel Securities to Handle Its IPO
Alexander Osipovich, The Wall Street Journal

Uber Technologies Inc. has chosen electronic-trading giant Citadel Securities LLC to manage its hotly anticipated initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, people familiar with the matter said.

Bumble says it will soon detect lewd images sent on its app
Sara O’Brien, CNN

On Bumble, lewd pictures will soon come with a warning. The company, which launched as a female-focused dating app but has since expanded its service to networking for friends and jobs, announced Wednesday plans to introduce a feature in June that uses artificial intelligence to flag inappropriate images sent through direct messages.

Microsoft’s Cloud Business Continues to Boom as Windows Sales Rebound
Asa Fitch, The Wall Street Journal

Microsoft Corp. rode its cloud-computing business to another strong quarter, while sales of its Windows operating system rebounded from recent weakness caused by a scarcity of computer chips that has hurt PC sales.

Possible $5B Facebook fine echoes European tech penalties
Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press

The possibility of a $5 billion federal privacy fine for Facebook suggests that U.S. regulators may be taking a cue from the large penalties their European counterparts have been handing out to U.S. technology giants.

Sooner or Later Your Cousin’s DNA Is Going to Solve a Murder
Heather Murphy, The New York Times

The Golden State Killer case was just the start. Hundreds of cold cases are hot again thanks to a new genealogy technique. The price may be everyone’s genetic privacy.

Keeping the Internet Affordable for All
Celeste McCaw, Morning Consult

Affordable, universal broadband service has never been more important. It has become the essential gateway to access information on everything from education and government services to cultural exploration and community engagement.

Blocking social networks after terrorist attacks can do more harm than good
Casey Newton, The Verge

Imagine for a moment that you run a small country prone to outbreaks of sectarian violence. Terrorist attacks hit a series of churches and hotels in your country on a major religious holiday, prompting fears that violence will spread.

Poor People’s Privacy Can’t Be an Afterthought
Mary Madden, The New York Times

One of the tragic ironies of the digital age is this: Despite the fact that low-income Americans have experienced a long history of disproportionate surveillance, their unique privacy and security concerns are rarely visible in Washington and Silicon Valley.

The Uber Workplace in D.C.
Katie J. Wells, Georgetown University

The on-demand ride-hailing industry that has emerged in recent years presents sobering challenges for its new workforce. These challenges include: drivers not knowing how much they truly earn; increased financial risk and debt; and dangers to drivers’ health and safety.