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
Aboard the Diamond Princess, a Case Study in Aerosol Transmission
Researchers are using computer models to determine how the coronavirus moves through a community, building, or small group of people.
From ACM News
This Tool Could Protect Your Photos From Facial Recognition
Researchers at the University of Chicago want you to be able to post selfies without worrying that the next Clearview AI will use them to identify you.
From ACM News
The Star of This $70 Million Sci-Fi Film Is a Robot
Meet Erica, an android believed to be Hollywood's first fully autonomous artificially intelligent actor. Can she overcome the uncanny valley?
From ACM News
I Tried to Live Without the Tech Giants. It Was Impossible.
As lawmakers debate whether Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon are monopolies, a reporter recalls her attempt to avoid interacting with the companies.
From ACM TechNews
Google Promises Privacy with Virus App but Can Still Collect Location Data
Despite Google's promise that its smartphone software does not track user locations, governments were surprised to learn location-setting must be active for the...
From ACM TechNews
Major Security Flaws Found in South Korea Quarantine App
Software engineer Frederic Rechtenstein found a South Korean mobile application designed to enforce pandemic quarantines contained major security flaws that could...
From ACM News
Google Promises Privacy With Virus App but Can Still Collect Location Data
Some government agencies that use the software said they were surprised Google may pick up the locations of certain app users. Others said they had unsuccessfully...
From ACM News
Changing Course, U.S. Allows Visas for Online Students
The Trump administration said it would no longer require foreign students to attend in-person classes during the coronavirus pandemic in order to remain in the...
From ACM News
Harvard and M.I.T. Sue to Stop Trump Visa Rules for Foreign Students
Universities opposed a policy that would require students to take at least one in-person class or be denied permission to study in the U.S.
From ACM News
Goodbye to the Wild Wild Web
The Internet is changing, and the freewheeling, anything-goes culture of social media is being replaced by something more accountable.
From ACM News
Can an Algorithm Predict the Pandemic’s Next Moves?
Researchers have developed a model that uses social-media and search data to forecast outbreaks of Covid-19 well before they occur.
From ACM News
Australia Spending Nearly $1 Billion on Cyberdefense as China Tensions Rise
Officials promised to recruit at least 500 cyberspies and build on the country's offensive capabilities to take the online battle overseas.
From ACM News
Are Companies More Productive in a Pandemic?
Many claim their employees are hyper efficient while working from home. But there are social and emotional costs to ambition in isolation.
From ACM News
Reddit, Acting Against Hate Speech, Bans 'The_Donald' Subreddit
The influential pro-Trump community broke the rules on harassment and targeting, said Reddit, which also banned other groups.
From ACM News
Michael Hawley, Programmer, Professor and Pianist, Dies at 58
A man of manifold interests, his achievements ranged from developing ideas behind the so-called Internet of Things to publishing the world's biggest book.
From ACM News
Wrongfully Accused by an Algorithm
In what may be the first known case of its kind, a faulty facial recognition match led to a Michigan man's arrest for a crime he did not commit.
From ACM News
Apple to Ditch Intel Chips in Macs as It Consolidates Its Power
The move, announced in the live-streamed start to the company's conference for developers, marks the end of a 15-year partnership.
From ACM News
A Multibillion-Dollar Opportunity: Virus-Proofing the New Office
Tech, catering and design companies are rushing to sell employers on fever scanners, box lunches, and office floor-planning apps for social distancing. But it's...
From ACM News
Big Tech Zeros In on the Virus-Testing Market
As businesses grapple with how to safely reopen the workplace, some companies are rushing out new work force health-vetting and tracking tools.
From ACM News