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 TechNews
Students Find Creating Covid-19 Tracing App for School Was Easy. Navigating Fault Lines of the Teenage Pull to Socializing Was More Treacherous.
Two Marin County, CA, high school students built apps to help local schools contain the spread of Covid-19, hoping to encourage in-person attendance while maintaining...
From ACM TechNews
Social Work Faculty Uses AI to Fight Substance Abuse in Youth Experiencing Homelessness
The University of Pittsburgh recently received an $8-million+ National Institutes of Health grant to develop brain-computer interfaces.
From ACM News
DHS is 3rd Federal Agency Hacked in Major Russian Cyberespionage Campaign
A spokesman said the Department of Homeland Security is aware of reports of a breach and is currently investigating the matter.
From ACM News
Spies with Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service Believed to have Hacked a top American Cybersecurity Firm, Stolen its Sensitive Tools
"We are witnessing an attack by a nation with top-tier offensive capabilities," FireEye CEO Kevin Mandia said in a blog post.
From ACM News
Global Losses from Cybercrime Skyrocketed to Nearly $1 trillion in 2020, Report Finds
IP theft and financial crime account for at least 75% of cyber losses and pose the greatest threat to companies, according to the report.
From ACM News
Apple to Pay $113 Million to Settle State Investigation into iPhone 'Batterygate'
Investigators from 34 states and the District of Columbia, including Democratic and Republican attorneys general, joined the settlement.
From ACM News
NASA's New Rocket Would be the Most Powerful Ever. But it's the Software that has Some Officials Worried.
The SLS software concerns are the latest red flags for a program that has struggled to overcome cost overruns and setbacks.
From ACM TechNews
Tesla Putting 'Self-Driving' in the Hands of Drivers, Amid Criticism the Tech Is Not Ready
Electric automaker Tesla has providing a number of owners of its vehicles a software update to enable the cars to steer better and accelerate without human control...
From ACM TechNews
Cyber Command Sought to Disrupt World's Largest Botnet, Hoping to Reduce Its Potential Impact on the Election
U.S. Cyber Command (CyberCom) has launched a campaign to temporarily disrupt the world's largest botnet, in order to mitigate its potential interference in the...
From ACM TechNews
Buenos Aires Using Facial Recognition System That Tracks Child Suspects, Rights Group Says
Human Rights Watch says Buenos Aires is using a facial recognition system connected to a database that includes child suspects and is publishing warrants for their...
From ACM News
How Does Google's Monopoly Hurt You? Try These Searches
Right under our noses, the Internet's most-used website has been getting worse.
From ACM TechNews
Parking Technology Aims to Manage Curb Space Virtually
Washington, D.C., is the first U.S. city to test a system that transmits real-time information about curbside parking availability and space size to delivery drivers...
From ACM TechNews
Amazon Launches Grocery Store with 'Smart' Shopping Carts, Alexa Guides
Amazon on Thursday opened its first Fresh grocery store in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, featuring no checkout lines, smart shopping carts, and...
From ACM TechNews
U.K. Used an Algorithm to Estimate Exam Results; The Calculations Favored Elites
The British government has changed its strategy of using an algorithm to estimate how students would have performed on A-level college admissions exams after results...
From ACM TechNews
3D Images From Ultrasounds Allow Blind Parents to Feel Their Infant's Face
Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore can provide blind parents with three-dimensional models of their baby's face so they can "see" them before they are born,
From ACM TechNews
Tech to Contain Coronavirus on College Campuses Sparks Fresh Privacy Concerns
U.S. colleges are racing to contain the Covid-19 pandemic with technology including contact-tracing applications and facial recognition, prompting concerns about...
From ACM TechNews
No Masks, No Coughs: Robots Can Be Just What the Doctor Ordered in Time of Social Distancing
In Japan, a country with a long fascination with robots, automated assistants have become bartenders, security guards, deliverymen, and more, since the onset of...
From ACM TechNews
Virtual Try-Ons Replacing Fitting Rooms During the Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has spurred consumers to substitute fitting rooms with augmented reality using their smartphones and computers.
From ACM TechNews
Study Reveals Extent of Hate Speech on Reddit in Right-Leaning Forums
A new study found that more comment moderation is necessary to curtail racist and white supremacist content on Reddit.
From ACM News