Communications of the ACM
An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
From ACM News
The Lesson We’re Learning From TikTok? It’s All About Our Data
We should minimize how much we share with all of our favorite and not-so-favorite apps.
From ACM News
With Virtual Reality, Caregivers Can Become Patients
Carrie Shaw's struggle with her mother's dementia led her to create a company that allows users to experience the struggles of growing older.
From ACM News
For Quick Coronavirus Testing, Israel Turns to a Clever Algorithm
Inspired by a mother's question, the new method will be introduced across Israel this fall, just in time for flu season, and could be coming soon to the U.S.
From ACM TechNews
Tech Firms Broaden Group to Secure U.S. Election
Facebook, Google, and other major technology firms Wednesday announced an expansion of their coalition to secure the November U.S. presidential election, and met...
From ACM News
U.S. Seizes Bitcoin Said to Be Used to Finance Terrorist Groups
ISIS and other groups openly solicited virtual currency donations because they mistakenly believed that the transactions would be anonymous, officials said.
From ACM News
North Korean Hacking Group Attacks Israeli Defense Industry
Israel says the attack was thwarted, but a cybersecurity firm says it was successful. Some officials fear that classified data stolen by North Korea could be shared...
From ACM News
England’s Flawed Virus Contact Tracing Will Be Revamped
After months of complaints about its centralized, privatized system, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government says resources will be diverted to local public health...
From ACM TechNews
How a Historian Stuffed Hagia Sophia's Sound Into a Studio
Researchers at Stanford University were able to capture the acoustics of the Hagia Sophia, prior to the Byzantine cathedral in Istanbul being rededicated as a Muslim...
From ACM TechNews
Automated Line Calls Replace Human Judges at U.S. Open
With the coronavirus pandemic highlighting the need for safety, the upcoming U.S. Open tennis tournament will replace human line judges on 15 of 17 match courts...
From ACM News
For Robots, It’s a Time to Shine (and Maybe Disinfect)
The pandemic has turned cleaning and other mundane building tasks into a challenge, stoking interest in machines as cost-effective solutions.
From ACM TechNews
Aboard the Diamond Princess, a Case Study in Aerosol Transmission
Researchers are using computer models to determine how the coronavirus moves through a community, building, or small group of people.
From ACM News
This Tool Could Protect Your Photos From Facial Recognition
Researchers at the University of Chicago want you to be able to post selfies without worrying that the next Clearview AI will use them to identify you.
From ACM News
The Star of This $70 Million Sci-Fi Film Is a Robot
Meet Erica, an android believed to be Hollywood's first fully autonomous artificially intelligent actor. Can she overcome the uncanny valley?
From ACM News
I Tried to Live Without the Tech Giants. It Was Impossible.
As lawmakers debate whether Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon are monopolies, a reporter recalls her attempt to avoid interacting with the companies.
From ACM TechNews
Google Promises Privacy with Virus App but Can Still Collect Location Data
Despite Google's promise that its smartphone software does not track user locations, governments were surprised to learn location-setting must be active for the...
From ACM TechNews
Major Security Flaws Found in South Korea Quarantine App
Software engineer Frederic Rechtenstein found a South Korean mobile application designed to enforce pandemic quarantines contained major security flaws that could...
From ACM News
Google Promises Privacy With Virus App but Can Still Collect Location Data
Some government agencies that use the software said they were surprised Google may pick up the locations of certain app users. Others said they had unsuccessfully...
From ACM News
Changing Course, U.S. Allows Visas for Online Students
The Trump administration said it would no longer require foreign students to attend in-person classes during the coronavirus pandemic in order to remain in the...
From ACM News
Harvard and M.I.T. Sue to Stop Trump Visa Rules for Foreign Students
Universities opposed a policy that would require students to take at least one in-person class or be denied permission to study in the U.S.
From ACM News