Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
April 2021
From ACM TechNews
Technology Could Turn You Into a Tiffany
Companies are developing digital tools for the design of personalized jewelry, which can be fabricated via sophisticated three-dimensional metal printing.
From ACM TechNews
Category Killers of the Internet Are Significantly Reducing Online Diversity
A multi-institutional team of Australian researchers has found the diversity of online players is declining.
From ACM TechNews
Is Amazon Recommending Books on QAnon, White Nationalism?
A study found that Amazon's recommendation algorithms directs people to books about conspiracy theories and extremism, including those by authors banned by other online platforms.
From ACM TechNews
ACM Chuck Thacker Breakthrough Award Goes to Innovator Who Transformed Web Applications
ACM has named Michael Franz at the University of California, Irvine, recipient of the Charles P. "Chuck" Thacker Breakthrough in Computing Award.
From ACM TechNews
'Brain-Like Device' Mimics Human Learning in Major Computing Breakthrough
A device modeled after the human brain can learn by association via synaptic transistors that simultaneously process and store information.
From ACM News
Girl Scout Troop Teams Up With Google Wing on Cookie Deliveries
A Virginia girl scou troop teamed up with Google Wing amid COVID-19.
From ACM News
DOD Isn't Armed to Combat Growing Threat of Info Warfare, Experts Warn
Experts will say in today's Congressional testimony that the U.S. can learn from how cyberthreats have evolved in addressing growing online information operations.
From ACM News
Goldman Sachs Predicts Quantum Computing is 5 Years Away from Use in Markets
US bank and QC Ware looked into use of the technology to price complex derivatives.
From ACM News
As Auctioneers and Artists Rush Into NFTs, Many Collectors Stay Away
Auction sales show a schism in the market: speculative buyers flock to crypto art while blue-chip collectors hold back, fearing legal gray areas and copyright issues.
From ACM News
Ford's Ever-Smarter Robots Are Speeding Up the Assembly Line
A transmission factory shows how artificial intelligence may creep into industrial processes in gradual and often imperceptible ways.
From ACM News
France’s Macron Eyes Artificial Intelligence to Monitor Terrorism
The move comes as the French president comes under pressure to crack down on terrorism and Islamist separatism.
From ACM News
Stanford Study Questions How Medical AI Devices Are Evaluated
A group of Stanford University researchers wanted to know how much regulators and doctors actually know about the accuracy of the AI devices they are tout and approve.
From ACM News
Exclusive: Air Force Research Taps Quantum Computing
The Air Force plans to partner with quantum computing software company QC Ware to harness its algorithms to better surveil unmanned aircraft.
From ACM TechNews
AI Experts Even More in Demand as Economy Opens Up
CompTIA has observed surging demand for artificial intelligence experts as the economy opens up and companies expand the technology's usage.
From ACM TechNews
Justice Department Convenes Task Force to Tackle Wave of Ransomware Attacks
The U.S. Department of Justice launched the Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force to address the increase in ransomware attacks on critical U.S. organizations.
From ACM TechNews
Viable Plan or Security Theatre? Europe Embraces Digital Health Pass
The EU Commission is expected to award a contract soon for a central system to verify "digital green passes" for those who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
From ACM TechNews
Can the 'Belief Propagation' Algorithm Accurately Describe Complex Networked Systems?
Researchers have demonstrated a novel belief propagation algorithm to solve probabilistic models on networks containing short loops.
From ACM News
Cyber-Securing the Home Office
Patching the security holes that arise when working from home.
From ACM News
Chipmaker Says It Will Ramp Up Production of Older 28nm Chips
Fourth-largest contract chipmaker aiming at supply problems for carmakers, others.
From ACM News
Apple and Google Are Killing the (Ad) Cookie. Here's Why
Farewell, advertising cookie.
From ACM News
Emotet Botnet Harvested 4.3 Million eMail Addresses; FBI Using 'Have I Been Pwned' to Alert the Victims
The law enforcement agency is working with the data breach service to alert people that their information may have been harvested by the botnet.
From ACM TechNews
SolarWinds, Microsoft Hacks Prompt Focus on Zero-Trust Security
A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson said the public and private sectors should adopt zero-trust models of security.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Rev Up Innovative ML Strategies to Reclaim Energy, Time, and Money Lost in Traffic Jams
Researchers found that next-generation sensors and controls used with high-performance computing, analytics, and machine learning could minimize road congestion.
From ACM TechNews
A Growing Problem of 'Deepfake Geography': How AI Falsifies Satellite Images
Researchers used satellite photos of three cities and manipulation of video and audio files to identify new methods of detecting deepfake satellite images.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Develop First-of-Its-Kind Extended Reality Testbed to Speed Virtual, Augmented Reality Innovation
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers have launched an open source extended reality testbed to democratize XR systems research.
From ACM TechNews
How Close Is Ordinary Light to Doing Quantum Computing?
Researchers say it is possible to use mirrors to generate a light beam with multiple classical entanglements.
From ACM News
How Data Is Changing the Way Offices Are Run
Building owners are using data collection and artificial intelligence to help control systems like heating, lighting, air quality, and even the flow of workers.
From ACM News
Cobots Act Like Puppies to Better Communicate with Humans
Zoomorphic gestures inspired by dogs makes understanding cobots intuitive for anyone.
From ACM News
Facebook Now Has to Ask Permission to Track Your iPhone. Here's How to Stop It.
With the new iOS 14.5, apps have to seek your permission to track you. Here's what to tap, and two privacy settings to change immediately.
From ACM News
Still Getting Your Head Around Digital Currency? So Are Central Bankers.
If you are trying to grasp Bitcoin and understand what China's digital yuan means, America's Federal Reserve is right there with you.