Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
June 2021
From ACM News
How Big Tech Created a Data 'Treasure Trove' for Police
In the first half of 2020, Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft together fielded more than 112,000 data requests from local, state, and federal officials.
From ACM TechNews
AI Breakthrough in Premature Baby Care
A hybrid neural network can accurately forecast premature babies' individual mortality risk in order to better guide their care.
From ACM TechNews
Danger Caused by Subdomains
A security vulnerability could enable hackers to commandeer Website subdomains and inflict severe damage.
From ACM TechNews
Crashes Involving Tesla Autopilot, Other Driver-Assistance Systems Attract Scrutiny
The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is requiring automakers to report crashes involving vehicles with advanced driver-assistance systems.
From ACM TechNews
Hackers Infecting Gamers' PCs with Malware to Make Millions From Crypto
Hackers are exploiting gamers with "Crackonosh" malware to generate millions by mining cryptocurrency using gamers’ computers.
From ACM TechNews
A New Supercomputer Has Joined the Top Five
The Perlmutter supercomputer is the newest addition to the top 10 of the Top500 listing of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.
From ACM News
Alondra Nelson Wants to Make Science and Tech More Just
The deputy director of the White House science office plans to tackle algorithmic bias and start candid conversations about the past.
From ACM News
Fired by Bot at Amazon: 'It's You Against the Machine'
Contract drivers say algorithms terminate them by email—even when they have done nothing wrong.
From ACM News
How Tesla is Using a Supercomputer to Train its Self-Driving Tech
Tesla's approach to autonomy is controversial: It relies on just cameras to see and understand the roads.
From ACM News
Raj Reddy Honored by Computer History Museum
Turing Award recipient Reddy was recognized for his contributions in artificial intelligence and speaker-independent continuous speech recognition.
From ACM TechNews
Using ML to Build Maps That Give Smarter Driving Advice
Scientists used machine learning to develop an automatic mapping service that can enhance traffic management with greater intelligence.
From ACM TechNews
Linux Foundation Creates Standards for Voice Technology with Major Partners
The Linux Foundation and partners Target, Microsoft, Veritone, Schwarz Gruppe, Wegmans Food Markets, and Deutsche Telekom, created the Open Voice Network.
From ACM TechNews
Bank of Israel Testing Ethereum Tech in Digital Shekel Trial
The Bank of Israel is testing Ethereum's blockchain technology as part of a new internal digital shekel trial.
From ACM News
Channeling the Inner Voice of Robots
People have inner voices, why not robots?
From ACM News
Top Fed Official Says Digital Currency May be the Money Equivalent of Parachute Pants
The Fed is expected to release a paper on the potential for a digital currency this summer.
From ACM News
Government Antitrust Lawsuits Against Facebook Thrown Out by Federal Judge
Judge rules that Federal Trade Commission and states didn't make valid claims that Facebook engaged in unlawful monopolization.
From ACM News
Cyber Insurance Isn't Helping with Cybersecurity
It might be making the ransomware crisis worse, say researchers.
From ACM TechNews
Banning Extreme Views on YouTube Really Does Help Stop Their Spread
The results of a study indicated that banning people who espouse extreme views from YouTube shrinks their audience.
From ACM TechNews
NFC Flaws Let Researchers Hack ATMs by Waving a Phone
An Android app can exploit flaws in near-field communication systems, enabling ATMs and a variety of point-of-sale terminals to be hacked.
From ACM TechNews
Musical Chairs? Swapping Seats Could Reduce Orchestra Aerosols
Researchers used a computer model to determine whether rearranging musicians could significantly reduce aerosol buildup on the stage of a concert hall.
From ACM TechNews
Intelligent Carpet Gives Insight into Human Poses
A new tactile sensing carpet assembled from pressure-sensitive film and conductive thread is able to calculate human poses without cameras.
From ACM TechNews
Security Robots Expand Across U.S., with Few Tangible Results
Concrete proof that security robots reduce crime is lacking, despite wider deployment by U.S. government agencies and the private sector.
From ACM TechNews
IT Leaders Say Cybersecurity Funding Being Wasted on Remote Work Support: Survey
In a JumpCloud survey of IT decision-makers at small and medium-sized enterprises, 56% think their organizations are spending too much to enable remote work.
From ACM News
How AI Is Taking Over Our Gadgets
AI is moving from data ters to devices, making everything from phones to tractors faster and more private. These newfound smarts also come with pitfalls.
From ACM News
Robot Rock: Can Big Tech Pick Pop's Next Megastar?
Faced with so much new music, major labels are using algorithms to hunt down tomorrow's hits. Is this great news for rising stars – or the recipe for a bland new future?
From ACM TechNews
Average Time to Fix Critical Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities is 205 Days: Report
The average time to correct critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities grew from 197 days to 205 days between April and May 2021, according to WhiteHat Security.
From ACM TechNews
The Internet Eats Up Less Energy Than You Might Think
Claims about the Internet's energy consumption typically are exaggerated by well-intentioned scientists, a new study finds.
From ACM TechNews
GPS Cyberattack Falsely Placed U.K. Warship Near Russian Naval Base
A cyberattack may have been involved in a naval confrontation this week between Russia and a British warship in the Black Sea that never really happened.
From ACM TechNews
ML Methods Could Improve Environmental Predictions
New process- or knowledge-guided machine learning techniques can predict flow and temperature in river networks more accurately even when data is scarce.
From ACM TechNews
Rembrandt's 'Night Watch' on Display with Missing Figures Restored by AI
Researchers at the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands used artificial intelligence to restore missing parts of Rembrandt’s "The Night Watch."