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When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn into office, it marked the first time in American history that Californians held two of the three highest offices in the federal government. No, President Biden is not from the Golden State, but Vice President Harris and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi both hail from the Bay Area. And with Attorney General Xavier Becerra holding a key cabinet position, officials from California now have a sizable role in influencing the Biden agenda.

The incoming administration is rightly prioritizing economic relief and Covid-19 vaccine deployment. On other issues, they'll have to navigate narrow Democratic majorities in Congress, in which some progressive policies could be nonstarters. To avoid gridlock, these high-ranking Californians can identify policies with broad, bipartisan support, perhaps taking a page out of their home state's playbook.

In recent years, California has become a national leader on privacy rights. Oakland, San Francisco, and Santa Clara County, among other municipalities, have spearheaded strong local laws to oversee governmental use of people's private information and data.

Gaps in privacy protections remain, however, and top Californians in Washington, D.C. can help plug them at the federal level. This is especially true of the "smart city" programs sprouting up across the country. These programs enable local governments to collect troves of personal data with few safeguards in place to prevent it from being mishandled or abused. For example, my organization, Oakland Privacy, closely monitors a data-sharing protocol deployed by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) called Mobility Data Specification (MDS).

MDS is a massive data-collection system that LADOT spent millions developing. It requires mobility companies to provide the city with real-time location data for their vehicles, including each rider's origin, route and destination. Such granular data makes it easy to identify and track riders, and can reveal sensitive personal information with just a handful of data points. LADOT hasn't provided a concrete reason for requiring this individualized information over safer alternatives, like aggregated data, nor did it seek public input before adopting the system. Department leaders were even discovered using an encrypted messaging service to communicate with each other while developing MDS.

Real-time, re-identifiable data like the kind collected through MDS is particularly ripe for abuse. This could range from law enforcement accessing the data to perpetuate harmful surveillance practices against communities of color, to a city employee using it to stalk a former partner. These are grave consequences, which is why the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are suing Los Angeles to halt MDS for violating the Fourth Amendment.

But Los Angeles isn't alone in overlooking privacy rights. In Pasadena and in Long Beach, police used automatic license plate readers and shared the data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, despite pledging not to. In San Diego, the city deployed "smart streetlights" to supposedly monitor traffic, but they were used by police more than two dozen times to surveil Black Lives Matter protestors. Examples like these undercut California's standing as the pacesetter in securing privacy rights and reinforce the need for a smart cities solution that incorporates strong local oversight and federal protections.

Efforts to build so-called smart cities are not limited to Californiathey're popping up nearly everywhere, from Seattle and Chicago to Columbus and New York. With their impending influence over multiple levers of power in Washington, D.C., our Bay Area leaders should spearhead legislation that reins in misguided smart city programs. High-profile members of both parties have already signaled their interest. Such opportunities do not come around often, and California officials now have the chance to make their presence known on this important issue.

Tracy Rosenberg is the Advocacy Director for Oakland Privacy, a nonprofit watchdog group that works to defend the right to privacy and enhance oversight regarding the use of surveillance.

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A recently published study showed that Black people are 3.6x more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people in the United States, and the gap is growing. The research, conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and compiled by Joslyn Law Firm between 2010 and 2018, suggests War on Drugs racism still permeates cannabis law enforcement, even though 1 in 3 Americans now live in a state where marijuana is legal.

RELATED:Will Cannabis Become Legal in 2021?

The difference between white and Black marijuana arrests rose by over 300% in 20 U.S. counties between 2010 and 2018, according to the study. In Carter, Tennessee, racial disparity in this department increased by 977%, making Black people 14x more likely to be arrested for marijuana than whites in 2018.

Of the 49 states reporting (Florida did not contribute to this study), the state with the highest racial disparity was Montana, where Black people were almost 10x more likely to be arrested for marijuana than white people. Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, and West Virginia followed close behind, with the chance of arrest for Black people above 7x what it was for white people.

Two of these states have since legalized recreational marijuana, indicating that the issue has little to do with overall attitudes toward marijuana use in these states. Cannabis became legal in Montana this November, and Illinois legalized it January, 2020.

Recreational marijuana is illegal in Kentucky, Iowa, and West Virginia. Though West Virginia has a medical marijuana program now, it had not gone into effect during the time this data was collected.

RELATED: Where is cannabis legal in the United States? (Medical marijuana and CBD included)

The states with the lowest racial disparities in cannabis arrests were Colorado, California, and Oregon. Recreational cannabis has been made legal in each of these states within the years this data was collected.

Brian Joslyn, Owner of Joslyn Law Firm, said areas of the country with the highest racial disparity in marijuana arrests also tend to record vague and bizarre reasons for other charges against Black people.

All too often I see suspicious police reports that justify traffic stops and detentions of black people with suspicious justifications ultimately leading to a search and seizure of their persons. Its these kinds of suspicious justifications that I rarely see as much when the individual is white, Joslyn told GreenState. I believe the data clearly shows that black people are being targeted by police. It would be impossible to suggest otherwise.

Every year, roughly 700,000 marijuana-related arrests are made in the U.S, meaning this problem is effecting thousands of people every day.

Joslyn said he believes legalizing marijuana would only be the first step in erasing racial prejudice from cannabis charges, since law enforcement would continue to unlawfully detain and search a disproportionate number of Black people for drug impairment or other violations of cannabis law. Therefore, he believes a kind of deep clean of law enforcement around the country to be imperative for racial justice.

RELATED: The Difference Between Cannabis Legalization and Decriminalization, and Why it Matters

What needs to occur are policy changes within the police departments that train and instruct officers to only pull over or detain individuals for well-established violations of law, Joslyn said. In addition, all officers should be equipped with both cruiser cams and body cams so their arrests can be reviewed and verified, and our state legislatures need to further work to protect individuals Fourth Amendment rights through the passage of laws that would raise the standards for law enforcement to search ones persons or property.

By CriminalAttorneyCincinnati.com

Elissa Esheris Assistant Editor at GreenState. Her work has also appeared in The Boston Guardian, Brooklyn Paper, Religion Unplugged, and Iridescent Women. Send inquiries and tips to elli.esher@hearst.com.

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Is Americas Approach to Cannabis Racist? Study Shows Its Worse Than You Think - GreenState

On Oct. 8, 2020, family members of Alvin Cole joined the dozens who marched for justice in the streets of Wauwatosa. Protests flooded the suburb for months, as the 17-year-old had been the third person killed by former Wauwatosa officer Joseph Mensah. Coles mother Tracy, and older sister Taleavia, became central figures in the local movement.

It was the second straight day demonstrators defied a curfew, declared after no charges were brought against Mensah the prior day. Coles family also took their chances against the militarized crackdown, documented previously in the Wisconsin Examiner.

Later that night, Tracy Cole would be hospitalized after sustaining injuries during her arrest by Wauwatosa officers. Taleavia was briefly jailed, and her cell phone confiscated for evidence. It was just one of several phones seized by officers during those tense and chaotic nights. The question of why police wanted the devices continues to haunt many of those who defied Wauwatosas curfew.

The Wauwatosa Police Department (WPD) did not return Taleavia Coles phone for more than 20 days. Internal emails obtained by Wisconsin Examiner, however, paint a picture of what happened to the phones during their stay at WPD. The messages were sent between detectives and members of the departments Special Operations Group (SOG), which conducts cell phone data extraction operations.

Click on images to view entire picture.

The protester phone emails

WPD, working alongside a US Marshals task force, arrested Taleavia and her mother, and seized the phone on Oct. 8. I was trying to reach for my phone cause I just saw a lot of cops coming towards my car, she recalls. And they just started spiking our cars, so theres literally no way out.

Erik Fanning, a Wauwatosa resident who was in a caravan of cars participating in the protest, also describes the situation, saying officers, had us kettled in, to where we were just stuck. And we couldnt move the cars any which way.

Moments later, Cole noticed an officer was approaching already near her car. Cop comes to my car, she says, tries to bust out my windows and then opens my door and puts a gun to my head.

As she was pinned to the ground, Taleavia heard her mothers screams as her own arrest played out feet away. Five days later, WPD detectives emailed one another about the captured phones.

There are not that many, if any, phones recovered from the protesters entered into property, a supervisor in the Wauwatosa Police Department (WPD) said in an email to the departments Special Operations Group (SOG). We will need to start returning those, unless needed for evidence processing. SOG Detective and cell data extraction specialist Martin Keck would reply, they are in the nerd lab.

Taleavia and others were taken to the Waukesha County jail, while their phones were transported back to Wauwatosa. WPD spokesperson Sgt. Abby Pavlik told Wisconsin Examiner that certain peoples phones were sought because they, may have had potential electronic evidence. Eight days later, the phones would find themselves in the Computer Forensics Unit, or what Keck called the nerd lab.

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On Oct. 14, Keck sent an email to fellow SOG detective Joseph Lewandowski, and others. Lt. [Shane] Wrucke took Taleavias phone, he wrote, noting that another was on Lewandowskis desk while the rest were in a separate bag. Lewandowski is also connected to an investigative PowerPoint presentation which labeled Mayor Dennis McBride as a higher value target for WPD.

WPD reports indicate that phones were taken on Oct. 8, and Oct. 9, when curfew enforcement was most aggressive. These phones were returned to their owners between Oct. 15-19, 2020.

The police, however, made an exception for Taleavias phone. It remains unclear why Coles phone was segregated from the rest. According to WPDs annual reports, in 2019 Lt. Shane Wrucke was the sergeant leading the SOG.

In interviews with Wisconsin Examiner, several protesters described attempts to retrieve their phones, only to be told by WPD that they were seeking warrants to access them. When the phones finally did return, many were set on airplane mode despite the owners not having left the phones on that setting. Other activists arrested during the curfew report that officers told them their phones were being kept for data mining.

Asked to comment, Pavlik says it is standard practice to put phones in airplane mode for potential phone analysis. It also helps conserve the phones battery life. She also insists that the department did not analyze the phones.

Some of Kecks emails, unrelated to the protests, reveal that he could also acquire information from a phones SIM card. This seems distinctly different from extracting data through something like Cellebrite, used to download cell data. As a unit, SOG uses covert surveillance and cell data recovery to investigate armed robberies and other high-profile crimes. The unit also targeted its surveillance efforts toward protesters over the months of marches in Wauwatosa.

Click on images to view entire picture.

Sgt. Pavlik would not directly answer whether Coles SIM card, or those belonging to other protesters, were removed by SOG. She simply reiterated, Taleavias phone was not analyzed, nor were any other phones taken during that time. All phones were returned in the same condition in which they were taken.

Taleavia Coles phone was not returned until Oct. 30, when her familys lawyer Kimberley Motley filed motions in Milwaukee County Circuit Court to order it returned.

While Coles phone was in WPDs possession, according to court filings, her Instagram and Facebook accounts disappeared. Additionally, Motley noted in the filings, [Taleavias] iCloud account which has updated photos, many attorney-client privileged documents and other pertinent information to which she has never consented to a search has been tampered with. The attorney has heard similar reports of photos and other information missing from the phones of protesters who had their phones confiscated.

The emails concerning the phones date from Oct. 13-14, 2020. Motley called WPD between Oct. 9-15, and again on Oct. 29, to retrieve Taleavias phone. In one of the filings she writes that she asked the WPD to produce a search warrant for the phone and/or probable cause to keep the phone, both of which the WPD did not produce.

On Oct. 16, Motley filed the motion to order the phone returned, which did not happen until Oct. 30. No explanation was given as to why the department held onto Coles phone for 22 days.

The Coles were awarded $300, the maximum amount allowed in this sort of civil case arguing unlawful seizure.

Cole says she is not alone in wondering why police would take such a keen interest in her phone in October. Even the FBI said, why did they take your phone? Maybe because Im the sister of Alvin Cole? Everythings in my phone.

Motley later took Coles phone to be analyzed by a lab to shed light on what happened to the phone while it was in the forensics lab. Although shes unable to provide many details at this time, Motley calls the results, very disturbing. And were going to continue to investigate the matter.

Lee Schuchart, an attorney who has dealt with cases involving cell data extraction, also reviewed Kecks emails. It is disturbing [that] law enforcement apparently seized everyones phone. I would look further into this issue, as police need a legal justification to seize property, he says. If a court already ruled the seizures were unconstitutional, that raises huge red flags. I am curious how many people had their rights violated that night. The Fourth Amendment does not evaporate because people exercise their First Amendment right to protest.

WPD began gathering intelligence on protesters from the beginning. A list of at least 40 protesters and protest folder existed even before the officer who shot Alvin Cole was suspended.

The department monitored Facebook live feeds, and drafted warrants for social media groups used by the protesters. After one person was arrested on Aug. 14, an entire section of the incident report was dedicated to the marchers confiscated phone.

Percy Hayes, a protester who was arrested in late September during a small peaceful march, says Keck told him that he was the detective who actually cracks our cell phones. WPD reports released via open records requests indicate he did interview Hayes, but dont mention some of the comments he described. Wisconsin Examiner has requested the video of this interrogation.

Motley compares these tactics to those employed by the FBIs Counter-Intelligence Program (COINTEL PRO) against leaders of the civil rights movement. Its shockingly similar to how the FBI and CIA targeted Black activists in the civil rights 1960s movement, Motley tells Wisconsin Examiner. Its a pathetic playbook which has been used over, and over again. The list of protesters, as well as the targeting of Mayor McBride and other elected officials by WPD, only increases her concerns about the departments tactics.

Although Motley has particular concerns about SOG, she holds Chief Barry Weber as ultimately responsible. Weber was ccd in the protester list emails, and has singled out local elected officials. The same day McBrides PowerPoint, which also mentions Motley, was emailed by Detective Lewandowski, Weber wrote a letter requesting that she be professionally disciplined. Motley has demanded Weber to be fired for running WPD, like a private security force.

Motley, referring to the SOG team, went on to warn of the officers behavior: It shows a gross and disgusting over-reach of their powers as, basically police officers with this pretend label that theyve given themselves.

When I took this case, it was a tragic situation to uncover what actually happened as it relates to the death of Alvin Cole, says Motley. And, unintentionally, I have been thrown down this rabbit hole of nonsense, and corruption, and outright ignorance of the law It has to stop. They have to be accountable for their actions.

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Why did Wauwatosa PD want the phone of Alvin Cole's sister? - Wisconsin Examiner

The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled Thursday that a SWAT team member must face First Amendment and battery claims from reporters he tear-gassed while they were covering public unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in 2014.

SWAT team member Michael Anderson claims that the reporters had been ordered to disperse before he deployed the tear-gas. He also asserts that there wereprojectiles launched from the reporters area, leading him believe that there was an imminent threat to safety. He claims that he had arguable probable cause to believe that the reporters were refusing to disperse, obstructing officers performing their duties, and interfering with officers in a way that impacted officer safety. If this mistaken belief was objectively reasonable, Anderson wouldreceive qualified immunity.

However, in its opinionthe Eighth Circuit implied that this version of the facts is blatantly contradicted by video footage from the reporters, Ash-har Quraishi, Marla Cichowski, and Sam Winslade of the Al Jazeera America news network, as well as at least three other videos. The ruling affirms the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouris decision todeny Andersons motion for summary judgment and allow the plaintiffs to proceed:

The videos confirm the reporters version of the facts. They do not show dispersal orders or flying projectiles. They do not show orders to turn off the lights before the tear-gas. Rather, they show a peaceful scene interrupted by rubber bullets and tear-gas.Anderson presumes disputed facts in his favor, which this court cannot do because he moved for summary judgment. Taking the facts most favorably to the reporters, Anderson did not have arguable probable cause to use the tear-gas.

The video also contradicts Andersons claim that the Al Jazeera reporters were not engaged in activities protected by the First Amendment. The video supports the reporters claim that they were singled out by Anderson. A reasonable officer would have understood that deploying a tear-gas canister at law-abiding reporters is impermissible, the court said.

The court also ruled in favor of the plaintiffs regarding their state-law battery claims, noting that it was possible that Anderson acted with more force than [was] reasonably necessary to disperse the reporters, given that they were not engaged in unlawful activity.However, the court denied the reporters Fourth Amendment claims because it has not been clearly established that tear-gassing amounts to a seizure.

The Eighth Circuit remanded the case to the district court for further proceedings.

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Federal appeals court allows reporters to sue SWAT officer who tear-gassed them during Ferguson protests - JURIST

With help from Cristiano Lima, John Hendel and Bjarke Smith-Meyer

Editors Note: Morning Tech is a free version of POLITICO Pro Technology's morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 6 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the days biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro.

Wyden on 117: Sen. Ron Wyden is gearing up to introduce a new privacy bill that could pick up support across both parties and chambers. What else does he have planned for early this Congress?

Privacy in the Covid era: As vaccinations slowly ramp up across the U.S., Democratic lawmakers today reintroduced Covid-related privacy legislation focused on protecting Americans health data.

Facebook addresses a polarized country: Mark Zuckerberg announced Wednesday that Facebook would stop recommending political groups to its users, a move likely to change how candidates and others rally support online.

HAPPY THURSDAY AND INTERNATIONAL DATA PRIVACY DAY. WELCOME TO MORNING TECH! Im your host, Alexandra Levine.

Got a news tip? Write me at [emailprotected], and follow @Ali_Lev on Twitter and @alexandra.levine on Instagram. An event for our calendar? Send details to [emailprotected]. Anything else? Team info below. And don't forget: Add @MorningTech and @PoliticoPro on Twitter.

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5G will be a major driver of American prosperity and economic growth. It will be a platform for a rejuvenated economy with the potential to create 3 million jobs and $500 billion in economic growth. Learn more at ericsson.com/us

Q&A: WYDEN ON HIS NEW PRIVACY BILL AND SECTION 230 LITMUS TEST Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is poised to play a major role in debates over privacy and content moderation in the 117th Congress, and hes got big plans. Cristiano caught up with Wyden to find out about his tech policy agenda for this Congress. Here are some highlights:

Hes readying a new privacy bill: Wyden said hes planning to introduce a so-called not for sale privacy proposal. An aide said the legislation, set to be introduced in the coming weeks, would prevent law enforcement agencies from running around the Fourth Amendment by obtaining consumers personal data from brokers without a warrant or court order.

He has a two-step test for any Section 230 bill: The Oregon Democrat, who co-authored the 1996 law, said any proposal to change it must pass a simple test. Any changes [to Section 230] shouldn't target constitutionally protected speech, and they shouldn't discourage moderation, he said. The bills I've seen so far violate one or both of those things.

A broadband bombardment: Wyden, who is expected to chair the Senate Finance Committee, said hell be pressing hard to expand internet access. Congress has basically got to set out a lodestar that broadband on our watch is going to come to be like electrification was decades ago, he said. Every single infrastructure bill should have a significant broadband component. Pros can read the full interview here.

REVISITING PRIVACY IN THE COVID ERA New Congress, same bill: A group of Democratic lawmakers this morning reintroduced closely watched Covid-related privacy legislation. The bicameral Public Health Emergency Privacy Act, first introduced last spring, aims to protect Americans privacy and health data and tighten controls around information collected through virus testing, contact tracing and remote patient monitoring. One difference, almost nine months later, is that vaccines have been introduced into the mix and sign-ups for the shots are already demanding a large amount of personal information.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said the legislation could revitalize the digital contact tracing effort. Based on how poorly the Trump administrations contact tracing scheme went, we all know this legislation would go a long way towards establishing the trust American consumers need, she said. Schakowsky introduced the bill with Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Mark Warner (Va.), and Reps. Anna Eshoo (Calif.) and Suzan DelBene (Wash.).

AND AN(OTHER) ATTEMPT TO ALTER SECTION 230 Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday released a new discussion draft that seeks to amend the tech industrys liability shield in order to crack down on civil rights abuses committed through targeted online advertising. Its one of the first Section 230 bills floated by lawmakers that looks to address concerns about discrimination online. (Remember, though: Some civil rights groups have said changing the law could have dangerous consequences for social and racial justice efforts, as we reported in Wednesdays MT.)

To be continued?: Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), chair of the House Energy & Commerce subcommittee on communications and tech, praised Clarkes draft in a statement and said he plans to work with committee colleagues on additional proposals for platform accountability. Watch for more as E&C lawmakers convene this afternoon.

HOW FACEBOOK WILL TURN DOWN THE TEMPERATURE ON AND OFFLINE The social network will stop recommending political groups to people on the platform, and its working to tone down political content that appears in users feeds, Mark Zuckerberg revealed during the companys Wednesday earnings call. The moves are part of an effort to turn down the temperature and discourage divisive conversations, the CEO said.

Its the latest example of Zuck walking back or significantly changing his approach to content policies on the platform in recent years, he has advocated aggressively for free speech and taken a more hands-off approach to political material and it comes weeks after the Capitol riot illustrated how divisive rhetoric online can spill over into real-life, deadly violence.

Whats next: The changes are likely to affect politicians digital strategies as early planning for the next set of elections begins particularly in the midst of a pandemic, when political organizing has been largely forced online.

A TRUMP-ERA LEGACY LIVES ON IN BIDENS FCC At least one regular FCC governance practice instituted by former GOP Chair Ajit Pai will continue under Democratic leadership. Acting Chair Jessica Rosenworcel on Wednesday posted the draft texts of two telecom proposals up for votes at the commissions Feb. 17 meeting the first shell lead.

It was Pai who first changed FCC protocol in 2017 to allow for these drafts to be released three weeks before the meetings where commissioners vote on them. Many Democrats had previously opposed efforts to publicize the language early, including chair Tom Wheeler, who in 2015 warned that doing so would prompt a legion of lawyers to pore over the text of an order and file comments that he feared would mean court battles and a never-ending story that prevents the Commission from acting. After Pai instituted the practice, though, those problems never seemed to materialize, and Rosenworcel will now continue the custom.

BIDEN PLEDGES AN EVIDENCE-BASED APPROACH In a memo Wednesday outlining the responsibilities of leaders of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Task Force on Scientific Integrity and various federal agencies, Biden pledged that their policies would hinge on science and data, rather than political ambitions.

Scientific findings should never be distorted or influenced by political considerations, the memo said. Improper political interference in the work of federal scientists and in the communication of scientific facts undermines the welfare of the nation, contributes to systemic inequities and injustices, and violates the trust that the public places in government.

CLARITY COMING ON DIGITAL TAX DISCUSSIONS? Tax enthusiasts should get a sense today for whether global policymakers will deliver an international method for taxing digital businesses by this summer. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is hosting a star-studded panel debate on the topic that includes the finance ministers of Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. Expect plenty of optimism on their part now that Bidens in the White House and Janet Yellen has taken the helm of the U.S. Treasury.

On Yellen: She wont be attending the OECD debate, but she did speak to Germanys Olaf Scholz and the U.K.s Rishi Sunak on Wednesday about digital taxation and other topics. Yellen told Scholz shes committed to active U.S. participation in the ongoing OECD discussions on international taxation to forge a timely international accord.

Read our breakdown of whats at stake a whole lot more than money here.

The Center for Democracy & Technology is adding 17 new members to its advisory council. They include Wilmer Hales Debo Adegbile, who sits on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights; Georgetown Laws Laura Moy, who recently served on Bidens FTC transition team; Graphikas Camille Francois, a disinformation expert who helped lead the Election Integrity Partnership; and Twitters Lauren Culbertson, head of U.S. public policy for the platform. Check out the full list here.

Notarize, a company that helps people sign and notarize documents online, has joined the Internet Association. BSA | The Software Alliance, CableLabs, GSMA, Open RAN Policy Coalition and Telecom Infra Project are forming a coalition of coalitions to work together on global open RAN issues.

A message from Ericsson:

Ericsson is committed to helping the U.S. build 5G infrastructure and create careers of the future. Weve invested over $100 million dollars in our energy-efficient 5G smart factory in Texas where the equipment powering 5G networks across the United States is assembled. Our factory showcases innovation powered by 5G-connectivity, with capabilities such as autonomous robots, augmented reality training, and more. Its just one part of the companys presence in the U.S., which includes 7,700 employees, 4 R&D centers and 5 Centers of Excellence where we train the 5G installation workforce.

To learn more about Ericssons investment in the U.S. visit ericsson.com/us.

Never underestimate the power of some chatter on social media: The GameStop-Reddit saga explained, via Protocol. How Discord then had to respond, via The Verge. And the SECs concerns, via POLITICO.

The wrong kind of influencer: A Florida man with a big social media following was arrested on federal charges Wednesday on accusations that he used platforms such as Twitter to conduct a targeted voter suppression campaign in 2016, Cristiano reports.

ICYM the Silicon Valley earnings: What you need to know about the numbers, via WSJ, and what you need to know about the Facebook-Apple rivalry, via WaPo.

Opinion: Big tech facilitated QAnon and the Capitol attack. Its time to hold them accountable, Joan Donovan, a disinformation expert with the Harvard Kennedy School, and Amed Khan, a former staffer on the Biden-Harris campaign, write in The Guardian.

Restaurant relief: DoorDash is increasing its Covid relief program for restaurants to $10 million providing eateries with grants to offset some of the losses and costs theyve endured during the pandemic.

Tips, comments, suggestions? Send them along via email to our team: Bob King ([emailprotected], @bkingdc), Heidi Vogt ([emailprotected], @HeidiVogt), Nancy Scola ([emailprotected], @nancyscola), John Hendel ([emailprotected], @JohnHendel), Cristiano Lima ([emailprotected], @viaCristiano), Alexandra S. Levine ([emailprotected], @Ali_Lev), and Leah Nylen ([emailprotected], @leah_nylen).

TTYL.

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Sen. Ron Wyden's prospects for the 117th Congress - Politico