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
Automated Line Calls Replace Human Judges at U.S. Open
With the coronavirus pandemic highlighting the need for safety, the upcoming U.S. Open tennis tournament will replace human line judges on 15 of 17 match courts...
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 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
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
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
Britain Didn’t Want Silicon Valley’s Help on a Tracing App. Now It Does.
Months after other countries, Britain will now use technology provided by Apple and Google to build a contact-tracing app.
From ACM News
China is Collecting DNA From Tens of Millions of Boys and Men, Using U.S. Equipment
Even children are pressed into giving blood samples to build a sweeping genetic database that will add to Beijing's growing surveillance capabilities.
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
With an Internet of Animals, Scientists Aim to Track, Save Wildlife
Sensors and other equipment aboard the International Space Station will be used to monitor wildlife, revolutionizing animal tracking.
From ACM News
China’s Virus Apps May Outlast the Outbreak, Stirring Privacy Fears
With the disease there mostly under control, officials are looking for new uses for the government software that's now on many phones.
From ACM News
App Shows Promise in Tracking New Coronavirus Cases, Study Finds
The app, which allows people to record their symptoms, was remarkably effective in predicting infections. The most reliable indicators, researchers found, were...
From ACM TechNews
This Was Supposed to Be the Year Driverless Cars Went Mainstream
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted technology companies' plans to bring autonomous vehicles into the mainstream this year.
From ACM News
How My Boss Monitors Me While I Work From Home
As we shelter in place in the pandemic, more employers are using software to track our work — and us.
From ACM TechNews
Australia's Fire Season Ends, Researchers Look to the Next One
The effectiveness of many technologies being developed to cope with wildfires in Australia hinges on the ability to predict how fuel types like eucalyptus trees...
From ACM TechNews
Can't Scout Players in Person? The NFL Turns to Brooklyn Startup
The National Football League is using a startup's artificial intelligence technology to remotely scout prospective players during the coronavirus restrictions. ...
From ACM TechNews
How Are You Feeling? Surveys Aim to Detect COVID-19 Hot Spots Early
More than 2 million Britons and 150,000 Israelis have completed health surveys to trace COVID-19 outbreaks and send resources where they can do the most good.
From ACM TechNews