Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
September 2019
From ACM News
Moving the Encryption Policy Conversation Forward
Strong data encryption thwarts criminals and preserves privacy. At the same time, it complicates law enforcement investigations. A Carnegie working group looks to move the debate forward.
From ACM News
Mozilla, Creative Commons Want to Reimagine the Internet Without Ads, and They Have $100M to Do it
The Grant for the Web program will give roughly $20 million per year for five years to content sites, open source infrastructure developers, and others.
From ACM News
Google Unveils DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) Plan, Mozilla's Faces Criticism
DNS-over-HTTPS allows DNS resolution to be conducted over encrypted HTTPS connections rather than through the normal plain text DNS lookups.
From ACM TechNews
Report Reveals Growing Threat of Cyberattacks to Food Safety
Cyberattacks pose a rising threat to food production and safety, according to researchers at the University of Minnesota's Food Protection and Defense Institute.
From ACM TechNews
Google's Smart-City Plans 'Tech for Tech's Sake'
An independent panel criticized a smart-city development planned by Google's Sidewalk Labs unit on Toronto's waterfront, citing innovations as being more about "tech for tech's sake" than for citizens' benefit.
From ACM TechNews
'Flying Fish' Robot Can Propel Itself Out of Water, Glide Through the Air
A new bio-inspired robot uses water from the environment to create a gas and launch itself from the water's surface.
From ACM TechNews
Deep Learning at Scale for Construction of Galaxy Catalogs
Researchers combined artificial intelligence with high-performance computing to expedite analysis of massive datasets generated by cosmological surveys.
From ACM News
Theoretical Computer Scientist Receives Waterman Award
Mark Braverman is the third theoretical scientist in a decade to be honored with the Waterman Award.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Build Microscopic Biohybrid Robots Propelled by Muscles, Nerves
Researchers have developed soft biohybrid robots impelled by neuromuscular tissue that activates in response to light.
From ACM TechNews
Engineers Develop Multimaterial Fiber 'Ink' for 3D-Printed Devices
A new method utilizes standard three-dimensional printers to produce functioning devices with electronics already embedded within them.
From ACM TechNews
AI Learns to Defy Laws of Physics to Win at Hide-and-Seek
Scientists at the OpenAI artificial intelligence laboratory developed bots that trained themselves to cooperate by playing hide-and-seek.
From ACM TechNews
How Hackers Could Break Into the Smart City
The more connected a smart city is, the greater its vulnerability to cyberattack.
From ACM TechNews
Smart TVs Sending Sensitive User Data to Netflix, Facebook
A new study has found that certain smart TVs and streaming dongles transmit information to Netflix, Facebook, and third-party services, in some cases even when the devices are turned off.
From ACM TechNews
Algorithm Can Distinguish Cyberbullies from Normal Twitter Users with 90% Accuracy
Machine learning algorithms developed by a team of Binghamton University researchers can differentiate bullies and aggressors on Twitter from normal users with 90% accuracy.
From ACM TechNews
Website Rates Security of Internet-Connected Devices
The site, https://yourthings.info, features rankings of 45 devices on their security capabilities.
From ACM TechNews
AI as Good as Mahler? Austrian Orchestra Performs Symphony with Twist
A researcher at the Ars Electronica Futurelab research center in Austria has used open-source artificial intelligence software to mimic classical symphonies.
From ACM News
Hacking the Smart Home via the Internet of Things
A group of researchers uncovered implementation flaws in Internet of Things devices.
From ACM News
Artificial Intelligence Confronts a 'Reproducibility' Crisis
Machine-learning systems are black boxes even to the researchers that build them. That makes it hard for others to assess the results.
From ACM TechNews
A Smart Artificial Hand for Amputees Merges User, Robotic Control
Researchers in Switzerland are developing new approaches for control of robotic hands for amputees that combine individual finger control and automation for improved grasping and manipulation.
From ACM TechNews
Israeli Researchers Develop AI-Based Cancer Treatment
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence-based technique for mapping receptors on cancer cells.
From ACM TechNews
Popular Mobile Games Can Detect Cognitive Decline
Researchers have found that popular mobile phone games can be used as a tool to help doctors identify early signs of cognitive decline.
From ACM TechNews
Smile-to-Pay: Chinese Shoppers Turn to Facial Payment Technology
China is embracing facial payment technology, which allows consumers to purchase goods simply by posing in front of point-of-sale machines equipped with cameras.
From ACM TechNews
Intel Server-Grade CPUs Impacted by New NetCAT Attack
Researchers have described a new exploit targeting Intel central processing units that support Data-Direct I/O Technology and Remote Direct Memory Access features.
From ACM TechNews
Computing 'Boot Camp' is Showing that 'Anyone Can Be a Coder'
School of Code is a U.K.-based startup that offers 15 weeks of free training at a "boot camp" for computer programming.
From ACM News
Körber Prize 2019 for Bernhard Schölkopf
This year, the scientific distinction with the highest prize money in Germany goes to the pioneer of artificial intelligence.
From ACM TechNews
Cloud-Based Tool Provides Clear Communication for Disaster Situations
A new self-contained communication tool provides support for first-responders from separate organizations operating in a disaster situation.
From ACM TechNews
Optical Lace Gives Robots Heightened Sensory Ability
Researchers have developed a stretchable optical lace that could give soft robots a soft touch.
From ACM TechNews
Research Team Introduces 'Phyjama,' a Physiological Sensing Pajama
University of Massachusetts, Amherst researchers have unveiled physiological-sensing textiles that can be woven or stitched into sleep apparel.
From ACM TechNews
How State Election Officials Are Contributing to Weak Security in 2020
A study by cybersecurity company NormShield found U.S. state election offices are failing to implement digital safeguards, increasing the 2020 elections' susceptibility to hackers.
From ACM TechNews
Artificial Leg with Sensors Helps People Feel Every Step
A new artificial leg is equipped with sensors that allow users to feel when the leg flexes and lands on the ground.