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
U.S. Officials Fear Ransomware Attack Against 2020 Election
The U.S. government intends to launch a program to shield voter registration databases and systems from hackers ahead of the 2020 election.
From ACM TechNews
Facial Recognition: School ID Checks Lead to GDPR Fine
The Swedish Data Protection Authority fined the municipality of Skelleftea for using facial recognition to track students in violation of the European Union's General...
From ACM TechNews
Smart Cities Need to Spend More on Security Tech, Study Suggests
A new study predicts 44% of the $135 billion projected to be spent in 2024 to secure critical city infrastructure against hackers will be invested in data safeguards...
From ACM TechNews
Virtual Caucus at Risk After DNC Experts Hacked Conference Call
The Democratic National Committee warned its Rules and By-Laws Committee that virtual caucusing via teleconferencing may be untenable, as experts successfully hacked...
From ACM News
The WIRED Guide to Cyberwar
The threat of cyberwar looms over the future: a new dimension of conflict capable of leapfrogging borders and teleporting the chaos of war to civilians thousands...
From ACM TechNews
EU Plans Sweeping Regulation of Facial Recognition
The European Commission is planning regulation that will entitle European Union citizens to control the use of their facial recognition data.
From ACM TechNews
Judge Bars Georgia From Using Current Voting Technology in 2020
U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg has ordered Georgia not to use its paperless voting machines, election management software, or servers for the 2020 election. ...
From ACM TechNews
22 Texas Towns Hit with Ransomware Attack in 'New Front' of Cyberassault
Computer systems in 22 Texas municipalities have been hijacked by ransomware.
From ACM TechNews
16 Million Americans Will Vote on Hackable Paperless Machines
At least 16 million Americans in eight states will vote on completely paperless machines in the 2020 U.S. elections.
From ACM News
Section 230 Was Supposed to Make the Internet a Better Place. It Failed
A tiny federal statute in 1996 transformed the web into a wildly lucrative business, and became Big Tech's favorite liability shield. It's now under attack from...
From ACM News
A Major Cyber Attack Could Be Just as Deadly as Nuclear Weapons, Says Scientist
People around the world may be worried about nuclear tensions rising, but they're missing the fact that a major cyberattack could be just as damaging.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Use Blockchain to Drive Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
Researchers have incorporated blockchain into energy systems, which could serve to expand the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
From ACM TechNews
Hackers Told to Break into U.S. Voting Machines Didn't Have Much Trouble
Hackers at this year's Def Con hacker conference successfully exploited weaknesses in U.S. voting systems, demonstrating that many machines could be hijacked and...
From ACM TechNews
Legal Shield for Websites Rattles Under Onslaught of Hate Speech
U.S. lawmakers are debating Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects websites from liability for user-generated content.
From ACM TechNews
Two Fraudsters, One Passport – Computers Detect Fraudulent Identity Photos
Researchers at the University of Lincoln found that computers are more accurate than humans at detecting photos that have undergone face morphing, a digital manipulation...
From ACM TechNews
Facial Recognition Coming to a Supermarket Near You
Rapid advancements of AI and facial recognition technologies, combined with a dramatic decline in costs, means that these systems are now viable for use by supermarkets...
From ACM TechNews
Visa to Test Advanced AI to Prevent Fraud
Visa is launching a platform to help its engineers quickly test artificial intelligence algorithms designed to detect and prevent credit card fraud.
From ACM TechNews
Russian Hackers Infiltrating Companies via Office Printer
Microsoft warns hackers associated with Russian spy agencies are exploiting Internet-of-Things devices to infiltrate corporate networks.
From ACM TechNews
Users Can Sue Facebook Over Facial Recognition Software, Court Rules
The 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that Illinois-based Facebook users can sue the social network for using facial recognition software.
From ACM News