From a business perspective, BuzzFeed is impressed with the progress that Twitter has made in recent years. “Two years ago, people were writing eulogies for Twitter,” it writes. “But then … things started changing … Twitter began beating earnings expectations.” In addition, “Twitter now claims 336 million monthly active users, up from 305 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, when it lost 2 million users, and up from 328 million a year ago.”  

Microsoft is buying Bonsai -- a startup dedicated to helping businesses bolster their machine learning and AI capabilities. “Bonsai’s technology allows customers in industries like energy, manufacturing and automotive build AI into their intelligent systems and processes,” GeekWire reports. “Its automated platform lets subject matter experts train autonomous systems, regardless of AI knowledge.”

BuzzFeed provides an overview of the tech industry’s responses to the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” immigration policy. “Statements condemning the practice have poured out in the past few days, and many tech leaders have also encouraged people to donate to nonprofits that help support migrants and their families at the U.S. border,” it writes.  

More than 100 Microsoft employees have sent a letter to CEO Satya Nadella requesting the software giant cut ties with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Venture Beat writes. “Federal agencies involved with immigration have been under particularly heavy scrutiny recently as the Trump administration has implemented more aggressive policies.” 

The White House is weighing a federal approach to digital data privacy, sources tell Axios. “The preliminary conversations show that the White House wants a voice in the contentious domestic and global debate about how to protect consumer privacy online,” it writes. “So far, Europe’s strict General Data Protection Regulation has set the terms of the debate, alarming companies and some regulators in the U.S.”

Following six years of development, IBM just unveiled an AI-powered debating program, which can apparently discuss roughly 100 topics. Yet, “Project Debater doesn’t try to build an argument based on an understanding of the subject in question,” MIT Technology Review  reports. “Instead, it simply constructs one by combining elements of previous arguments, along with relevant points of information from Wikipedia.”  

Ahead of Wednesday's vote, Wired UK considers the EU’s proposed copyright law, which would require Web platforms to automatically filter uploaded content. The would-be law would oblige large sites to use “‘content recognition technologies’ to scan for copyrighted videos, music, photos, text and code in a move that that could impact everyone from the open source software community to remixers, live streamers and teenage meme creators,” it writes.

Google just debuted a Messages for web feature for Android Messages, which will allow users to keep texting friends and family without their phones. “The ability to send and receive texts on your Android phone and computer has been long overdue,” CNet writes. “Apple’s iMessages has supported this feature for a few years.”  

Amazon is rolling out a new version of its Alexa virtual assistant designed specifically for the hospitality business. As The Verge reports: “The Alexa experience will be customized and tailored to each individual hospitality location, so guests will be able to do things like order room service, request a housekeeping visit, or adjust room controls (thermostat, blinds, lights, etc.) using an Echo in their room.”

Google Maps users can no longer book an Uber ride from inside the app. “You can still look up the route in Maps and then ‘request the ride from the Uber app,’ ” Android Police reports. But, Google removed direct Uber booking without providing a reason. By contrast, “Google made a big fuss about having the ability to book an Uber through the Maps app when the functionality was added in January 2017.”