Communications of the ACM
Improving Section 230, Preserving Democracy, and Protecting Free Speech
Proposing a framework for a decentralized market where no one party controls the flow of information.
From ACM Opinion
The Strange Allure of the Blockchain
Are we too aggressively looking to replace the danger of unjust financial systems with wildly risky alternative currencies?
From ACM Opinion
The Dream of U.S.-Made Computer Chips
Before we invest in making more chips on U.S. soil, we should be asking what we're trying to achieve
From ACM Opinion
It's Time to Stop Paying for a VPN
Many services meant to protect your Web browsing can no longer be trusted
From ACM Opinion
America Is Being Held for Ransom, and It Needs to Fight Back
A comprehensive anti-ransomware strategy must make it tougher for criminal groups and their sponsors to carry out attacks
From ACM Opinion
Apple and Facebook Are Coming for Your Face Next
The face computer is coming—brace yourself
From ACM Opinion
There's a Better Way to Stop Ransomware Attacks
Adopt and enforce regulations for the cryptocurrency industry that are equivalent to traditional banking
From ACM Opinion
Could Cyberwar Make the World Safer?
Perhaps, if nations can settle for slugging it out online, rather than with guns and missiles?
From ACM Opinion
The Crackdown in China Is a Hot Mess, and It's Coming for Us
Recent moves by the Chinese government against tech companies represent a terrifying government action.
From ACM Opinion
Should Alexa Read Our Moods?
Companies should be barred from analyzing what people say and how they sound to recommend products or personalize advertising messages.
From ACM Opinion
Why Was SolarWinds So Vulnerable to a Hack?
The federal government should set minimum security standards for software and software development.
From ACM Opinion
A Case for Banning Facial Recognition
A Google research scientist explains why she thinks the police shouldn't use facial recognition software.
From ACM Opinion
We're Banning Facial Recognition. We're Missing the Point.
The whole point of modern surveillance is to treat people differently, and facial recognition technologies are only a small part of that.
From ACM Opinion
We Shouldn't be Scared by 'Superintelligent A.I.'
Bostrom, Russell, and other writers argue that even if the probability is small that superintelligent machines will emerge in the foreseeable future, we should...
From ACM Opinion
How Silicon Valley Puts the 'Con' in Consent
The average person would have to spend 76 working days reading all of the digital privacy policies they agree to in the span of a year. Reading Amazon's terms and...
From ACM Opinion
The Tech That Was Fixed in 2018 and the Tech That Still Needs Fixing
Personal technology was so awful this year that nobody would think you were paranoid if you dug a hole and buried your computer, phone and smart speaker under six...
From ACM Opinion
Can the .S. Stop China From Controlling the Next Internet Age?
Imagine, if you will (and you should), a big American tech executive being detained over unspecified charges while on a trip to Beijing.
From ACM Opinion
The End of Privacy Began in the 1960s
In the fall of 1965, President Lyndon Johnson's administration announced a plan to consolidate hundreds of federal databases into one centralized National Data...
From ACM Opinion
The New Radicalization of the Internet
Social media has played a key role in the recent rise of violent right-wing extremism in the United States, including three recent incidents—one in which a man...
From ACM Opinion