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
Java Beats Python to Remain the Most Popular Programming Language Around
Java, JavaScript, and Python are the three most popular programming languages in use among developers.
From ACM News
Signal Downloads Are Way Up Since the Protests Began
Organizers and demonstrators say they feel safer communicating with end-to-end encryption.
From ACM TechNews
Self-Driving Cars That Recognize Free Space Can Better Detect Objects
Researchers have developed a method to improve self-driving vehicles's ability to detect objects by enabling them to recognize empty space.
From ACM TechNews
Billions of Smart Home Devices Open to Attack
A newly discovered vulnerability in the Universal Plug and Play networking protocol could expose billions of smart home devices to cyberattack.
From ACM News
Farewell to Gummy Bear Jars: Tech Offices Get a Virus Safety Makeover
Companies like Salesforce created workplaces with all the comforts of home, but now they may feel more like hospitals.
From ACM News
Access Denied: Faulty Automated Background Checks Freeze Out Renters
Computer algorithms that scan everything from terror watch lists to eviction records spit out flawed tenant screening reports. And almost nobody is watching.
From ACM News
Microsoft Bans Police Face Recognition Sales as Big Tech Reacts to Protests
The announcement came a day after rival Amazon.com declared it was pausing police use of its "Rekognition" service for a year.
From ACM TechNews
Younger People, Users of Niche Social Media Platforms More Likely to Share Covid-19 Disinformation
More than half of respondents to the study who shared disinformation were 39 or younger.
From ACM TechNews
U.S. Voting Data from Millions of People is Being Traded on the Dark Web
Researchers have found that data on millions of U.S. voters is being illegally traded on parts of the Internet not searchable using normal means.
From ACM TechNews
Pandemic to Jumpstart Spending on Data Tools at Manufacturers
Chief information officers predict manufacturers will spend more on data management and analytics tools following the coronavirus pandemic.
From ACM TechNews
The Extraordinary Sample-Gathering System of NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will launch the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission on July 17.
From ACM TechNews
NYU Report Calls On Social Media Titans to Stop Outsourcing Content Moderation
A New York University report urges social media companies to stop outsourcing the moderation of their content.
From ACM News
AI vs. AI
Financial institutions use AI to create "synthetic identities" for customers; hackers use 'bad' AI to fool the 'good' AI.
From ACM News
Untold History of AI: Algorithmic Bias Was Born in the 1980s
A medical school thought a computer program would make the admissions process fairer—but it did just the opposite.
From ACM News
For a Day, Scientists Pause Science to Confront Racism
Scholars said they would not hold classes or lectures on Wednesday, and leading journals and scientific associations said they would not announce most breakthroughs...
From ACM News
Amazon Pauses Police Use of Its Facial Recognition Software
The company said it hoped the moratorium "might give Congress enough time to put in place appropriate rules" for the technology.
From ACM TechNews
Engineers Put Tens of Thousands of Artificial Brain Synapses on a Single Chip
Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineers have designed a 'brain on a chip' composed of tens of thousands of memristors.
From ACM TechNews
Stanford Lab Envisions Delivery Drones That Save Energy by Taking the Bus
Stanford University researchers have developed a methodology that allows delivery drones to take the bus.
From ACM TechNews
People with Damaged Knees, Hips Could Be Treated with 3D-Printed Artificial Cartilage
University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) scientists three-dimensionally (3D)-printed artificial cartilage.
From ACM TechNews