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
Smart Reporting Tool Could Combat Fake News on Encrypted Chat Apps
Researchers at George Washington University say they have built a tool that would allow users to expose fake news without endangering their privacy. The Fuzzy Anonymous...
From ACM TechNews
Almost No One Encrypts Their Emails Because It Is Too Much of a Hassle
A study of 81 million email messages sent from January 1994 to July 2021 found that only 0.06% of the emails were encrypted.
From ACM TechNews
Google Can Take Two Months to Remove Malware Apps from App Store
It takes an average of 77 days from detection for Google to remove apps that may contain malware from the Google Play Store, accoriding to a recent analysis.
From ACM TechNews
GPS Cyberattack Falsely Placed U.K. Warship Near Russian Naval Base
A cyberattack may have been involved in a naval confrontation this week between Russia and a British warship in the Black Sea that never really happened.
From ACM TechNews
Quantum Data Link Established Between 2 Distant Chinese Cities
Researchers created a secure quantum link extending 511 kilometers (almost 320 miles) between two Chinese cities.
From ACM TechNews
Quantum Memory Crystals Are a Step Towards Futuristic Internet
Researchers at Spain's Institute of Photonic Sciences have taken a step toward a secure quantum Internet by using crystals to execute quantum teleportation of information...
From ACM TechNews
The Way We Use Emojis Evolves Like Language, Changes Their Meaning
A study of emoji use over time found that their use and meaning evolves like language, with changes dictated by context.
From ACM TechNews
Chemical Code Used to Store Jane Austen Quote in Plastic Molecules
University of Texas at Austin researchers encoded a quote from Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park in software-readable plastic molecules.
From ACM TechNews
Google Uses Underwater Fiber-Optic Cable to Detect Earthquakes
A submarine fiber-optic cable owned by Google was used by researchers to detect earthquakes and ocean waves generated by storms.
From ACM TechNews
Quantum Internet Signals Beamed Between Drones a Kilometer Apart
Researchers have sent entangled photons between two 35-kilogram drones located a kilometer apart, a development that could pave the way for quantum encryption. ...
From ACM TechNews
Google's AI Can Keep Loon Balloons Flying for Over 300 Days in a Row
An artificially intelligent pilot can keep huge stratospheric balloons aloft in a fixed position for hundreds of days to operate as floating cell towers for remote...
From ACM TechNews
Robots Now Can Understand What You Are Saying to Follow Commands
University of Michigan researchers have developed a model that simplifies robots' ability to follow commands by allowing them to understand what people are saying...
From ACM TechNews
Software Can Spy on What You Type in Video Calls by Tracking Your Arms
A new model can track the movement of the shoulders and arms of a person typing during a video call to determine what they are typing.
From ACM TechNews
Public Webcams Are Telling Us Whether People Are Social Distancing
Since April, computer scientists at Purdue University have been using an online database of public cameras to track compliance with social-distancing guidelines...
From ACM TechNews
Australia Will Use Robot Boats to Find Asylum Seekers at Sea
Australia is deploying unmanned robot boats to patrol its waters and monitor weather and wildlife, as well as identifying boats potentially transporting asylum...
From ACM TechNews
Fake News Gets Shared More When It is Angry, Anxiety-Inducing
Researchers in China have found that fake news may go viral more quickly when it uses words associated with anger.
From ACM TechNews
Pocket-Sized Device Tests Blood Samples for Genetic Conditions
A new smartphone-powered DNA detector can identify DNA in blood, urine, and other samples, on the spot.
From ACM TechNews
AI Can Distinguish Between Bots, Humans Based on Twitter Activity
Researchers trained an artificial intelligence system to detect Twitter bots based on differences in the patterns of Tweeting activity of real and fake accounts...
From ACM TechNews
Cyborg Grasshoppers Engineered to Sniff Out Explosives
Washington University researchers converted grasshoppers into bomb-sniffing tools by implanting electrodes in the insects' antenna lobes to tap into the capabilities...
From ACM TechNews