Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
February 2021
From ACM TechNews
Where Do Vaccine Doses Go, Who Gets Them? The Algorithms Decide
Trump administration officials last year formulated a Covid-19 vaccine distribution plan that has an algorithm allocate shots nationwide.
From ACM TechNews
From Lightbulbs to 5G, China Battles West for Control of Vital Technology Standards
China is channeling state funding and political influence to wrest control of technical standards for cutting-edge technologies from the West.
From ACM TechNews
Quantum Systems Learn Joint Computing
Researchers connected two quantum bits (qubits) in two different laboratories to a distributed quantum computer via a 60-meter (196-foot) optical fiber.
From ACM TechNews
Scientists Achieve 'Transformational' Breakthrough in Scaling Quantum Computers
The Gooseberry cryogenic computer chip can operate at ‘millikelvin’ temperatures approaching absolute zero.
From ACM TechNews
Here's a Way to Learn If Facial Recognition Systems Used Your Photos
The Exposing.AI online tool lets people search image collections for photos of themselves, to learn if such images were used to train facial recognition systems.
From ACM TechNews
Ford's Spin Wants to Curb E-Scooter Dumping with Remote-Controlled Three-Wheelers
Ford Motor's Spin division has announced a new service allowing electronic scooter operators to remotely move their scooters if they wind up in public spaces.
From ACM TechNews
Scientists Develop Computational Approach to Understand How Infants Perceive Language
A team of cognitive scientists and computational linguists has developed a modeling framework based on large-scale simulation of infants' language learning process.
From ACM TechNews
AI Predicts Asymptomatic Carriers of Covid-19
Researchers have developed a machine learning algorithm that can identify which people in a crowd most likely are asymptomatic carriers of Covid-19.
From ACM TechNews
Human Rights Come Under Pressure From Digital Controls
Some are concerned about the increased use of digital strategies by authoritarian regimes worldwide to undermine human rights and facilitate mass surveillance.
From ACM TechNews
Can AI Map Our Moods?
Researchers from Stanford University and the University of Michigan developed a machine learning model that can infer a person's mood from their Facebook posts.
From ACM TechNews
Apple Fixes Another 3 iOS Zero-Days Exploited in the Wild
Apple has released patches for three iOS zero-day vulnerabilities.
From ACM TechNews
Using ML to Solve Engineering Challenges
Researchers developed and used a machine learning algorithm to extract five optimal designs from 250,000 possible designs for an electric power system for an autonomous aerial drone.
From ACM News
The Scramble for Post-Quantum Cryptography
Quantum computers are expected to undermine today's computer security.
From ACM News
Clearview AI’s Facial Recognition App Called Illegal in Canada
Canadian authorities declared that the company needed citizens' consent to use their biometric information, and told the firm to delete facial images from its database.
From ACM News
Tracking Down DOPE, the First Computer Language for Normal Humans
DOPE has remained hidden because it was successful.
From ACM TechNews
Singapore Faces Talent Crunch as Tech Giants Scale Up
Singapore's ambition to be a regional technology hub faces a talent crunch.
From ACM TechNews
AI Art Critic Can Predict Which Emotions a Painting Will Evoke
Stanford University researchers have developed an artificial intelligence-based art critic that can predict emotional reactions to famous paintings, and even provide explanations.
From ACM TechNews
F-35's Buggy Software Prompts Pentagon to Call in Universities
The Pentagon is consulting with U.S. universities to evaluate software on aerospace company Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighter jet in the hope of correcting the buggy system.
From ACM TechNews
Ford to Use Google's Android System in Most Cars
Ford Motor announced a six-year agreement to use Google's Android operating system to power in-vehicle multimedia displays beginning in 2023.
From ACM TechNews
High-Performance Computers Under Siege by Newly Discovered Backdoor
Researchers at Slovak security firm Eset said a newly discovered backdoor allows hackers to remotely execute arbitrary commands on some high-performance computer networks. ]
From ACM News
Google Says It's Too Easy for Hackers to Find New Security Flaws
Attackers are exploiting the same types of software vulnerabilities over and over again, because companies often miss the forest for the trees
From ACM TechNews
Sundance Film Festival Makes a Giant Leap Into VR
The Sundance Film Festival is giving attendees access to a virtual reality platform that can be accessed with or without a VR headset by logging onto a website.
From ACM TechNews
South Korea Used AI to Bring Dead Superstar's Voice Back to the Stage, but Ethical Concerns Abound
South Korean broadcaster SBS plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to "resurrect" deceased folk singer Kim Kwang-seok for a new AI vs. human competition.
From ACM TechNews
Google Pursues Plan to Remove Third-Party Cookies
Google is moving ahead with a plan to strip third-party cookies from its Chrome Web browser and replace them with privacy-friendly alternatives.
From ACM News
Eyes on the Skies
Fighting delivery drone privacy invasions.
From ACM News
LED Lighting Development Wins 2021 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering
The 2021 QEPrize was awarded for the creation and development of LED lighting to Isamu Akasaki, Shuji Nakamura, Nick Holonyak Jr, M. George Craford and Russell Dupuis.
From ACM TechNews
The Spread of Covid-19 Led to Surge in Orders for Factory Robots
Orders for factory robots in North America spiked at the end of 2020 as manufacturers sought to avoid danger for employees amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
From ACM TechNews
Study Provides First Real-World Evidence of Covid-19 Contact Tracing App Effectiveness
A collaboration of U.K., U.S., and Spanish scientists revealed new insights on the use of digital contact tracing to control Covid-19.
From ACM TechNews
Quantum Computing Scientists Call for Ethical Guidelines
Six quantum computing experts are raising ethical issues about the technology's potential to create new weapons and ramp up human genetic manipulation.
From ACM TechNews
Holographic Display Improvements Poised to Enhance Virtual, Augmented Reality
An approach developed by researchers at NVIDIA and Stanford University can improve image quality and contrast for holographic displays.