Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
June 2022
From ACM News
Alexa Has a New Voice — Your Dead Relative's
Experts call the device's new feature a slippery slope, comparing it to an episode of 'Black Mirror'
From ACM News
Huge Step Forward in Quantum Computing Announced: The First-Ever Quantum Circuit
The latest invention follows the team's creation of the first ever quantum transistor in 2012.
From ACM News
How Students Are Scrubbing Their Social Media Profiles
A new service for students flags inappropriate or offensive posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so would-be employers can see them in the best possible light.
From ACM TechNews
Model Helps Identify Mutations That Drive Cancer
Researchers created a probabilistic computer model that rapidly scans the genome of cancer cells to identify cancer-driving mutations.
From ACM TechNews
Mega Says It Can't Decrypt Your Files. POC Exploit Shows Otherwise
A new report indicates Mega's file encryption architecture contains fundamental cryptography flaws enabling attackers to launch full key recovery attacks.
From ACM TechNews
How the Brain Prepares to Think
Researchers used the Texas Advanced Computing Center's Frontera supercomputer to probe the physics of thought activation in the brain.
From ACM TechNews
AI-Powered Archaeology Draws Out Hidden Evidence of Fire Use by Early Humans
Researchers used artificial intelligence to uncover evidence that ancient humans used fire at least 800,000 years ago at the Evron Quarry archaeological site in Western Galilee.
From ACM News
Do Kwon's Crypto Empire Fell in a $40 Billion Crash. He's Got a New Coin for You.
Luna's relaunch might be the ultimate act of chutzpah by the South Korean entrepreneur.
From ACM News
Twitter Apologizes for Abusing User Security Information After $150 million FTC settlement
n addition to the $150 million penalty, Twitter agreed to notify users that it misused the security data.
From ACM News
Cybercriminals Eye Biometrics
Biometric markers are increasingly popular targets of data theft, potentially endangering far more than your locally stored information.
From ACM News
The Avatars Wear Prada
And Balenciaga and Thom Browne. Meta opens a new fashion store for the metaverse. Should you shop?
From ACM News
Many Russian Cyberattacks Failed in First Months of Ukraine War, Study Says
A report published by Microsoft also found that Moscow's disinformation campaign to establish a narrative of the war favorable to Russia was doing better than expected.
From ACM News
California Grants First Permit to Test AVs Using Only Lidar Sensing
Vueron plans to unveil its next generation of Lidar AV platforms within the next few months.
From ACM News
'Privacy Doesn't Matter,' Screams the Microsoft Deal with DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo isn't as private as you think, facing criticism over its tracking agreement with Microsoft.
From ACM News
The Open Secret of Google Search
One of the most-used tools on the Internet is not what it used to be.
From ACM TechNews
Google Wants to Challenge AI with 200 Tasks, to Replace the Turing Test
Artificial intelligence researchers have proposed an update to the Turing test for rating the capabilities of AI technology.
From ACM TechNews
Meta Agrees to Alter Ad Technology in Settlement with U.S.
Meta agreed to change its advertising technology and to pay a penalty as part of a settlement over allegations it had discriminated against Facebook users.
From ACM TechNews
DARPA Report Finds Vulnerabilities in Blockchain Tech, Non-Secure Crypto Transactions
Researchers vetted the security of blockchain software's distributed ledger technologies for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
From ACM TechNews
Hybrid Machine Learning Forecasts Lake Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change
Researchers applied a hybrid empirical dynamic modeling methodology to predict the effects of climate change and phosphorus pollution on Switzerland's Lake Geneva.
From ACM TechNews
What Quantum Information, Snowflakes Have in Common, and What We Can Do About It
Researchers have demonstrated the ability to read out signals from a superconducting quantum bit (qubit) using laser light, without destroying it.
From ACM News
Fabric that Can 'Hear' Your Heartbeat Developed by MIT Scientists
The researchers say the fabric allows wearers to monitor their heart and breathing in a comfortable way over long periods, and could also be used to communicate.
From ACM News
I Am Not a Robot: iOS Verification Update Marks End of 'Captchas'
Tests where you are asked to spot traffic lights or type out wobbly letters may be a thing of the past.
From ACM News
Microsoft Plans to Eliminate Face Analysis Tools in Push for 'Responsible AI'
The technology giant will stop offering automated tools that predict a person's gender, age and emotional state and will restrict the use of its facial recognition tool.
From ACM TechNews
Hybrid Work Meetings Are Hell. Tech Is Trying to Fix Them
Technology companies are rolling out new options for hybrid meetings.
From ACM TechNews
Engineers Build LEGO-Like AI Chip
An international team of researchers has developed an artificial intelligence chip that is stackable and reconfigurable, similar to LEGO bricks.
From ACM TechNews
Linux Malware Has a Sneaky Way of Staying Hidden
Researchers discovered the Syslogk Linux rootkit delivers a backdoor trojan hides on a targeted machine until triggered.
From ACM News
China's Expanding Surveillance State: Takeaways From a New York Times Investigation
Chinese police analyze human behaviors to ensure facial recognition cameras capture as much activity as possible.
From ACM News
Using AI to Improve Farm Animal Welfare
Technology helps to interpret what animals are thinking and feeling, from what they utter and how they move.
From ACM TechNews
3D Rabbit 'Hologram' Created by Levitating Screen Using Sound Waves
An algorithm developed by researchers at the U.K.'s University College London can generate "holograms" by acoustically levitating objects.
From ACM TechNews
Quantum Computer Programming for Dummies
Scientists have formulated a new beginner-level guide for quantum computer programmers.