Axios

Following the Georgia runoff elections, the Facebook ban that restricts ads on social issues, elections and politics nationwide will be reimplemented in the state, the company said on Tuesday.

The big picture: The company has been trying to adapt its political ad policies in real time to curb confusion and possible misinformation around the election results.

A U.S. task force responsible for investigating the massive cyberattack that breached the departments of Defense, State and Homeland Security — among others — identified the hack as "likely Russian in origin," per a joint statement on Tuesday.

Why it matters: This is the first time the federal government has formally named Russia as the likely origin of the attack.

The machine learning company OpenAI is developing models that improve computer vision and can produce original images from a text prompt.

Why it matters: The new models are the latest steps in ongoing efforts to create machine learning systems that exhibit elements of general intelligence, while performing tasks that are actually useful in the real world — without breaking the bank on computing power.

Citizen, a mobile app that provides users with notifications of nearby emergencies and crimes (and lets them livestream video), raised around $73 million in new funding, according to an SEC filing. It includes $23 million from a recent convertible note, per a Citizen spokesman.

Why it matters: The app has been criticized for encouraging overzealous interest in local crime that can lead to vigilantism, while proponents argue it's created a unique hub for vetted local safety data that can be helpful to residents. Greycroft partner Dana Settle is listed on the filing, and Axios has learned that the firm led the round.

Editor's note: The story has been updated with details about the funding breakdown.

Pokémon Go creator Niantic announced today the acquisition of Mayhem, a small San Francisco startup focused on online gaming communities, along the lines of the much larger Discord. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Between the lines: As it stands, the social options within Niantic games are fairly limited, and many players use Discord servers to discuss the game, plan meet-ups and share strategy.

Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf will step down from his position in June, after more than 26 years with the company, according to a press release out Tuesday.

The big picture: Cristiano Amon, the company president who headed its 5G strategy, received unanimous support from the board of directors to replace Mollenkopf. The shift comes as the company has greatly increased its focus on the development of 5G technology.

Gary Cohn, the former top economic adviser to President Trump and former president of Goldman Sachs, tweeted Tuesday that he is joining IBM as vice chairman.

The big picture: Cohn, a Democrat, was considered one of the most powerful "globalists" in Trump's West Wing. He disagreed with Trump on just about every issue besides tax cuts and resigned in 2018 after a struggle inside the White House over tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

Local health officials are turning to online services like Eventbrite to improvise distribution schemes for the COVID-19 vaccine in the absence of federal support or a national plan.

Why it matters: Millions of lives, along with the country's economic recovery, depend on a speedy and successful rollout of the vaccine. But as people hunt for scarce information about vaccine availability and delivery processes, the lack of coordinated communication risks opening an information vacuum — into which misinformation could easily pour.

With Monday's announcement that some Google employees have formed the Alphabet Workers Union, the tech industry is getting its own innovative take on labor organizing.

What's happening: On the one hand, this isn't a traditional union — it won't be able to collectively bargain or formally represent the workforce. At the same time, the new "minority union" offers a fresh approach to solidarity: It's open to some managers and can represent temporary and contract workers.

Last year entrenched videoconferencing at the center of our work and private lives — but also showed us the limits and drawbacks of the tools we now depend on.

What's happening: Services like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and WebEx were a lifeline in 2020, channeling everything from work and school to parties and doctor's appointments into our homebound lives.

Even budget smartphones will start getting 5G support this year, with Qualcomm announcing today that devices running its new Snapdragon 480 chip will soon hit the market.

Why it matters: The 400 series is the company's lowest-end chip family and the inclusion of 5G is a sign that the technology will become the norm for new devices.

Samsung will hold a Jan. 14 event to unveil a new crop of mobile devices, where it's expected to launch the Galaxy S21, thought to be the name for its next set of flagship smartphones.

Driving the news: Samsung's phone launches have been creeping earlier and earlier in recent years, erasing the opportunity for rivals to get a leg up by announcing competing phones at CES.

A group of more than 200 employees at Google's parent company announced on Monday that they've signed union cards with the Communications Workers of America, forming the Alphabet Workers Union.

Why it matters: This is the largest and most high-profile unionization effort among tech workers to date. The tech industry has historically eschewed unions, unlike other sectors like the auto industry.