Communications of the ACM
The opinion archive provides access to past opinion stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
November 2020
From ACM Opinion
Why Is North Korea So Good at Cybercrime?
North Korea has moved quickly to expand its cyber capabilities, and Kim Jong Un himself has reportedly equated the importance of developing cyber capabilities to that of nuclear power.
From ACM Opinion
Your Computer Isn't Yours
It's here. The world that Richard Stallman predicted in 1997. The one Cory Doctorow also warned us about. Did you notice?
From ACM Opinion
AI Pioneer Geoff Hinton: 'Deep Learning Is Going to Be Able to Do Everything'
Thirty years ago, Geoffrey Hinton's belief in neural networks was contrarian. Now it's hard to find people who disagree with him.
From ACM Opinion
Quantum Computing Pioneer Warns of Complacency over Internet Security
Nature talks to Peter Shor 25 years after he showed how to make quantum computations feasible — and how they could endanger our data.
From Communications of the ACM
Digital Contact Tracing May Protect Privacy, But It Is Unlikely to Stop the Pandemic
Considering the potential benefits versus the risks of privacy-enhancing technologies.
From Communications of the ACM
Copyright's Online Service Providers Safe Harbors Under Siege
Reviewing the most significant changes recommended in the recently released U.S. Copyright Office Section 512 Study.
From Communications of the ACM
Using Data and Respecting Users
Three technical and legal approaches that create value from data and foster user trust.
From Communications of the ACM
It Is Time for More Critical CS Education
By which 'critical' means an intellectual stance of skepticism, centering the consequences, limitations, and unjust impacts of computing in society.
From Communications of the ACM
Where Should Your IT Constraint Be?: The Case of the Financial Services Industry
Locating the strategic location of the IT junction constraint.
From Communications of the ACM
Reason-Checking Fake News
Using argument technology to strengthen critical literacy skills for assessing media reports.
Why Great Programmers Pull Back the Curtain While Programming
11.24.2020Want to be a great programmer? If so, you have to pull back the curtain and learn how software really …
Time to Assess National AI Policies
11.24.2020The Center for AI and Digital Policy has undertaken the first comparative review of national artificial intelligence policies.
Is Computer Science More or Less Suitable for Distance Learning?
11.24.2020How undergraduate computer science students perceive the discipline based on their distance learning experience during the 2020 Spring semester – …
The Few, the Tired, the Open Source Coders
11.25.2020The open source movement runs on the heroic efforts of …
Need a Hypothesis? This A.I. Has One
11.24.2020Slowly, machine-learning systems are beginning to generate ideas, not just …
Gladys West: the Hidden Figure Who Helped Invent GPS
11.24.2020Growing up on a farm in Virginia during segregation, West …