Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
March 2021
From ACM TechNews
The Robots Are Coming for Phil in Accounting
Many U.S. companies are adopting software to perform tasks that previously involved teams of employees, and white-collar workers are concerned.
From ACM TechNews
Honda Launches Advanced Self-Driving Cars in Japan
Japanese automaker Honda has launched a limited roll-out of its new Legend, which it calls the most advanced driverless vehicle licensed for the road, in Japan.
From ACM TechNews
Autonomous Underwater Robot Saves People From Drowning
A research team has developed an underwater rescue robot with the help of the city of Halle, Germany, water rescue service.
From ACM TechNews
Meet the Israeli Robot That 'Hears' Through Dead Locust's Ear
Researchers at Israel's Tel Aviv University (TAU) have connected a dead locust's auditory organ to a robot, which responds to the sounds it picks up.
From ACM TechNews
Submersible Soft Robot Survives Pressure of Mariana Trench
A silicone rubber submersible robot engineered by researchers at China's Zhejiang University successfully withstood the immense pressures in the Mariana trench.
From ACM TechNews
How a 10-Second Video Clip Sold for $6.6 Million
Art collector Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile, who bought a 10-second video clip for $67,000 even though it was freely available to watch, recently sold it for $6.6 million.
From ACM TechNews
CVS, Walgreens Look for Big Data Reward From Covid-19 Vaccinations
Pharmacy chains including CVS Health, Walmart, and Walgreens-Boots Alliance are collecting data from customers as they sign up for coronavirus vaccinations.
From ACM TechNews
Google to Stop Tracking Users for Targeted Ads
Google says it will no longer track users across Internet searches to sell targeted advertising, and will not build alternative user-tracking models.
From ACM TechNews
Cybersecurity Researchers Build Better 'Canary Trap'
The WE-FORGE data protection system uses an artificial intelligence version of the "canary trap," which distributes multiple false documents to conceal secrets.
From ACM TechNews
China Charges Ahead with National Digital Currency
China is forging ahead with a national digital currency called the electronic Chinese yuan (eCNY).
From ACM TechNews
Way Beyond AlphaZero: Berkeley, Google Work Shows Robotics May Be Deepest Machine Learning of All
A new report found that the hardest and perhaps most promising work of deep learning may lie in the realm of robotics,
From ACM TechNews
The Bitcoin Blockchain Is Helping Keep a Botnet From Being Taken Down
Researchers found that a botnet they have been following disguised one of its IP addresses in the bitcoin blockchain to guard against a command-and-control server takedown.
From ACM TechNews
AI Smashes Videogame High Scores by Remembering Its Past Success
Artificial intelligence has achieved record high scores on videogames played on classic Atari consoles, by recalling previous successes.
From ACM News
Could Mobile Voting Ring True?
Voting on smartphones could result in higher voter turnouts.
From ACM News
2021 CRA Distinguished Service and A. Nico Habermann Awardees Announced
The CRA board of directors has announced its selections for the 2021 CRA Awards.
From ACM TechNews
Electricity Needed to Mine Bitcoin is More Than Used by 'Entire Countries'
The Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index estimated the electricity used to mine bitcoins last year equaled the annual carbon footprint of Argentina.
From ACM TechNews
New York, IBM Begin Testing Covid-19 Digital Health Pass
IBM and New York State have initiated testing of their forthcoming blockchain-based Covid-19 digital health pass, Excelsior Pass.
From ACM TechNews
AI Panel Urges U.S. to Boost Tech Skills Amid China's Rise
The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence's final report to Congress calls on the U.S. to enhance its AI skills as a means of countering China.
From ACM TechNews
A Letter Sealed for Centuries Has Been Read--Without Even Opening It
An international team of researchers used computer algorithms and x-ray scanning to read a tightly folded letter sealed since 1697, without actually opening it.
From ACM TechNews
Quantum Internet Closer to Reality, Thanks to This Switch
Engineers have overcome an obstacle to the development of a quantum Internet with a programmable switch.
From ACM TechNews
Japanese Companies Go High-Tech in the Battle Against Food Waste
Japanese firms are accelerating the use of advanced technology to combat food waste and reduce costs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
From ACM News
AI Ethics Research Conference Suspends Google Sponsorship
The decision followed days of questions about whether the conference would continue its relationship with Google following the company's treatment of Ethical AI team leaders.
From ACM TechNews
Prague Theater to Stage Play Written by AI, on 100th Anniversary of Capek's R.U.R.
Prague's Švanda Theatre plans to stage a play written by artificial intelligence to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Karel Capek's R.U.R.
From ACM TechNews
The Worldwide Web as We Know It May Be Ending
Threats of regulatory crackdowns on technology companies worldwide are expected to become more common, increasingly fragmenting the Internet.
From ACM TechNews
Chinese Spyware Code Was Copied From America's NSA: Researchers
Researchers discovered that code first developed by the U.S. National Security Agency has been used to support Chinese hacking operations.
From ACM News
AI vs. AI: The Race to Generate, Share, and Detect Deepfakes
Fakers and researchers alike are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to produce and identify manipulated digital content.
From ACM TechNews
Google Uses Underwater Fiber-Optic Cable to Detect Earthquakes
A submarine fiber-optic cable owned by Google was used by researchers to detect earthquakes and ocean waves generated by storms.
From ACM TechNews
'Farms Are Going to Need Different Kinds of Robots'
Farmers worldwide are using new precision-farming technologies to address agricultural issues.
From ACM TechNews
SolarWinds Hack Pits Microsoft Against Dell, IBM Over How Companies Store Data
Major technology companies are debating the safest data storage measures for customers following the SolarWinds hack.
From ACM TechNews
Drones Join Fight to Save New Zealand's Rarest Dolphin
The nonprofit MAUI63 organization hopes to preserve New Zealand's endangered Maui dolphin with an aerial drone.