Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
October 2020
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
The Contest to Protect Almost Everything on the Internet
Hundreds of the world's leading cryptographers are competing to develop encryption standards to protect online data against classical and quantum-computing cyberattacks.
From ACM TechNews
Bringing Power Tool From Math Into Quantum Computing
Scientists at Japan's Tokyo University of Science designed a novel quantum circuit that calculates the fast Fourier transform faster and more efficiently than previously possible.
From ACM TechNews
Robot Dolphin Could Replace Captive Animals at Theme Parks One Day
A U.S. engineering company has designed a robot dolphin in the hope that such animatronic machines eventually could substitute for captive animals at theme parks.
From ACM TechNews
Undocumented Backdoor That Covertly Takes Snapshots Found in Kids' Smartwatch
Researchers at Norwegian security company Mnemonic found an undocumented backdoor in the X4 smartwatch marketed by children's watch vendor Xplora.
From ACM TechNews
Voter Check-in System to Blame for Slow-Moving Lines in Georgia
Check-in computers unable to accommodate record turnouts were mainly to blame for slow-moving lines at early voting locations this week in Georgia.
From ACM News
Internet Freedom Has Taken a Hit During the Covid-19 Pandemic
From surveillance to arrests, governments are using the novel coronavirus as cover for a crackdown on digital liberty.
From ACM TechNews
U.S. Moves to Protect Technologies Considered Critical to National Security
The U.S. National Security Council on Thursday issued guidelines to protect technologies crucial to national security.
From ACM TechNews
FBI/DHS: Government Systems Face Threat From Zerologon Exploits
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security have detected attackers exploiting a Windows vulnerability against state and local governments.
From ACM TechNews
In Singapore, Facial Recognition Getting Woven Into Everyday Life
Singaporeans will be able to access government and other services through a facial recognition feature in its SingPass national identity program.
From ACM TechNews
Computer Model Simulation Explains Star Distributions in Galaxy Discs
Researchers used a new computer model to show the impact of gas clouds on the exponential fade in galaxy discs in an effort to explain star distributions.
From ACM TechNews
Japan Supercomputer Shows Humidity Affects Aerosol Spread of Coronavirus
Humidity can have a major impact on the dispersion of virus particles, according to a study by researchers at Kobe University in Japan and research giant Riken.
From ACM News
CA Says General Motors Can Test Fully Driverless Cars on Its Roads
"Before the end of the year, we'll be sending cars out onto the streets of SF—without gasoline and without anyone at the wheel," Cruise CEO Dan Ammann wrote in a company blog.
From ACM News
Twitter Changes Course After Republicans Claim ‘Election Interference’
It had blocked an unsubstantiated New York Post article about the Bidens, but said late Thursday that it would allow similar content to be shared.
From ACM News
‘Machines Set Loose to Slaughter’: the Dangerous Rise of Military AI
Autonomous machines capable of deadly force are increasingly prevalent in modern warfare, despite numerous ethical concerns. Is there anything we can do to halt the advance of the killer robots?
From ACM News
2.1 Million of the Oldest Internet Posts Are Now Online for Anyone to Read
Jozef Jarosciak just put millions of early Usenet posts on a browsable archive for the first time.
From ACM News
How Old is Your Brain?
Machine learning can help assess the physical age of one’s brain.
From ACM TechNews
Can Businesses Keep Up With Cyber Threats?
Market research firm Gartner forecasts cybersecurity spending by companies and governments will grow 9% annually from 2021 to 2024.
From ACM TechNews
Squeezing Light Inside Memory Devices Could Help Improve Performance
Researchers led by the U.K.'s University of Cambridge have developed a technique for "squeezing" visible light in order to probe nanoscale memory devices,.
From ACM TechNews
NASA Advancing 3D Printing Construction Systems for Bases on the Moon, Mars
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration is collaborating with construction technology firm ICON to develop a space-based construction system.
From ACM TechNews
Flaws in Top Antivirus Software Could Make Computers More Vulnerable
CyberArk researcher Eran Shimony has revealed security vulnerabilities in popular antivirus solutions.
From ACM News
The LAFD just hired America's first firefighting robot
On Tuesday, the 3,500-pound RS3 helped to put out a fire in downtown Los Angeles.
From ACM News
Banishing Blackouts
An Argonne researcher upgrades supercomputer optimization algorithms to boost reliability and resilience in U.S. power systems.
From ACM News
AI Shakes Up the Seismology World
Artificial intelligence is reshaping our understanding of earthquakes and other seismological events
From ACM TechNews
China's Quiet Experiment Let Millions View Long-Banned Websites
China allowed millions of its citizens access to long-banned foreign websites like YouTube and Instagram in a two-week experiment of the Tuber mobile browser application.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Use Flying Insects to Drop Sensors Safely
Researchers have created a 98-milligram sensor that can be deployed by riding on a small drone or an insect and being dropped when it reaches its destination.
From ACM TechNews
Software Spots, Fixes Hang Bugs in Seconds
New software developed at North Carolina State University can identify and fix so-called hang bugs.
From ACM TechNews
Split-Second 'Phantom' Images Can Fool Tesla's Autopilot
Researchers at Israel's Ben Gurion University of the Negev found they could fool Tesla's Autopilot driver-assistance systems into automatically reacting without warning.
From ACM TechNews
VR Software Allows Scientists to 'Walk' Inside Cells
New software enables super-resolution microscopy data to be visualized and analyzed in virtual reality.
From ACM TechNews
Woolworths Launches Automated eStore in Melbourne
Woolworths in Australia is using technology to accelerate delivery of online orders and potentially improve order accuracy.