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The FBI Wanted a Backdoor to the iPhone. Tim Cook Said No
From ACM Opinion

The FBI Wanted a Backdoor to the iPhone. Tim Cook Said No

In 2016, Tim Cook fought the law—and won.

Q&A With Dartmouth Computer Science Professor Xia Zhou
From ACM Opinion

Q&A With Dartmouth Computer Science Professor Xia Zhou

Xia Zhou co-directs two labs at Dartmouth College and serves as a judge for HackDartmouth.

Black Hole Hunters: Q&A With Katie Bouman
From ACM Opinion

Black Hole Hunters: Q&A With Katie Bouman

Scientists have revealed the first-ever image of a black hole. The picture is the result of a global collaboration in which scientists linked together telescopes...

The ­.S. Campaign Against Huawei Can Offer No ­.S.-Based Alternatives
From ACM Opinion

The ­.S. Campaign Against Huawei Can Offer No ­.S.-Based Alternatives

As U.S. officials have pressured allies not to use networking gear from Chinese technology giant Huawei over spying concerns, President Trump has urged American...

­U.S. Allies Should Heed the Warnings about Huawei
From ACM Opinion

­U.S. Allies Should Heed the Warnings about Huawei

In a recent newspaper advertisement, the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei appealed to common sense.

A Journey, If You Dare, Into the Minds of Silicon Valley Programmers
From ACM Opinion

A Journey, If You Dare, Into the Minds of Silicon Valley Programmers

Code seems cold and objective, the raw logic of the internet, and Silicon Valley likes it that way.

Despite Consumer Worries, the Future of Aviation Will Be More Automated
From ACM Opinion

Despite Consumer Worries, the Future of Aviation Will Be More Automated

In the wake of the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes of Boeing 737 Max planes, people are thinking about how much of their air travel is handled by software...

Huawei's Problem Isn't Chinese Backdoors. It's Buggy Software
From ACM Opinion

Huawei's Problem Isn't Chinese Backdoors. It's Buggy Software

A report on Thursday from a British government oversight group found that Chinese telecom-equipment maker Huawei has basic but deeply problematic flaws in its product...

Robots on the Run
From ACM Opinion

Robots on the Run

Young animals gallop across fields, climb trees and immediately find their feet with enviable grace after they fall.

Facebook and Google Aren't the Only Ones Tracking Your Clicks
From ACM Opinion

Facebook and Google Aren't the Only Ones Tracking Your Clicks

Criticism of big tech companies that track us across the internet without our informed consent misses a bigger picture: There are hundreds of ad-tracking companies...

The ­ncanny Valley Nobody's Talking About: Eerie Robot Voices
From ACM Opinion

The ­ncanny Valley Nobody's Talking About: Eerie Robot Voices

Call it the Great Convergence of Creepiness. The first bit, the uncanny valley, we're all familiar with by now: If a humanoid robot looks super realistic, but not...

How 2D Semiconductors Could Extend Moore's Law
From ACM Opinion

How 2D Semiconductors Could Extend Moore's Law

The number of components in electronic circuits has doubled every two years since the 1960s—a trend known as Moore's law.

The FAA Rigorously Tested the Boeing 737's Software
From ACM Opinion

The FAA Rigorously Tested the Boeing 737's Software

Two Boeing 737 Max 8 airplanes have crashed under similar circumstances in the past six months, one in October in Indonesia and the other in Ethiopia last week....

A Second 737 Max Crash Raises Questions about Airplane Automation
From ACM Opinion

A Second 737 Max Crash Raises Questions about Airplane Automation

As you read this, over a million people are in flight. Close to a third of the commercial airplanes in the sky at any given moment are Boeing 737s: it is the best...

NSA's Top Policy Advisor: It's Time to Start Putting Teeth in Cyber Deterrence
From ACM Opinion

NSA's Top Policy Advisor: It's Time to Start Putting Teeth in Cyber Deterrence

At an industry event in Hanover, Maryland last week, former National Security Council cybersecurity policy coordinator and acting Homeland Security Advisor Rob...

Limiting Your Digital Footprints in a Surveillance State
From ACM Opinion

Limiting Your Digital Footprints in a Surveillance State

What are your most important tech tools for reporting in Shanghai, especially with a government known for surveillance?

Are We Really the Smartest Kid on the Cosmic Block?
From ACM Opinion

Are We Really the Smartest Kid on the Cosmic Block?

It is unclear how many intelligent civilizations have arisen in the Milky Way galaxy so far, but if some have, a pressing question comes to mind: Were they or are...

'The Risk Paid Off': How Apple Prevailed in the ­.S.-China Trade War
From ACM Opinion

'The Risk Paid Off': How Apple Prevailed in the ­.S.-China Trade War

President Donald Trump's trade war with China has left a trail of economic wreckage across American industries from soybean farms to auto manufacturers.

China Is Catching ­p to the ­S on Artificial Intelligence Research
From ACM News

China Is Catching ­p to the ­S on Artificial Intelligence Research

Researchers, companies and countries around the world are racing to explore—and exploit—the possibilities of artificial intelligence technology.

Don't Let Robots Pull the Trigger
From ACM Opinion

Don't Let Robots Pull the Trigger

The killer machines are coming. Robotic weapons that target and destroy without human supervision are poised to start a revolution in warfare comparable to the...
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