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Latest News News Archive Refine your search:
subjectComputers And Society
authorThe New York Times
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An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


For Robots, It’s a Time to Shine (and Maybe Disinfect)
From ACM News

For Robots, It’s a Time to Shine (and Maybe Disinfect)

The pandemic has turned cleaning and other mundane building tasks into a challenge, stoking interest in machines as cost-effective solutions.

Aboard the Diamond Princess, a Case Study in Aerosol Transmission
From ACM TechNews

Aboard the Diamond Princess, a Case Study in Aerosol Transmission

Researchers are using computer models to determine how the coronavirus moves through a community, building, or small group of people.

This Tool Could Protect Your Photos From Facial Recognition
From ACM News

This Tool Could Protect Your Photos From Facial Recognition

Researchers at the University of Chicago want you to be able to post selfies without worrying that the next Clearview AI will use them to identify you.

The Star of This $70 Million Sci-Fi Film Is a Robot
From ACM News

The Star of This $70 Million Sci-Fi Film Is a Robot

Meet Erica, an android believed to be Hollywood's first fully autonomous artificially intelligent actor. Can she overcome the uncanny valley?

Google Promises Privacy with Virus App but Can Still Collect Location Data
From ACM TechNews

Google Promises Privacy with Virus App but Can Still Collect Location Data

Despite Google's promise that its smartphone software does not track user locations, governments were surprised to learn location-setting must be active for the...

Major Security Flaws Found in South Korea Quarantine App
From ACM TechNews

Major Security Flaws Found in South Korea Quarantine App

Software engineer Frederic Rechtenstein found a South Korean mobile application designed to enforce pandemic quarantines contained major security flaws that could...

Google Promises Privacy With Virus App but Can Still Collect Location Data
From ACM News

Google Promises Privacy With Virus App but Can Still Collect Location Data

Some government agencies that use the software said they were surprised Google may pick up the locations of certain app users. Others said they had unsuccessfully...

Changing Course, U.S. Allows Visas for Online Students
From ACM News

Changing Course, U.S. Allows Visas for Online Students

The Trump administration said it would no longer require foreign students to attend in-person classes during the coronavirus pandemic in order to remain in the...

Harvard and M.I.T. Sue to Stop Trump Visa Rules for Foreign Students
From ACM News

Harvard and M.I.T. Sue to Stop Trump Visa Rules for Foreign Students

Universities opposed a policy that would require students to take at least one in-person class or be denied permission to study in the U.S.

Goodbye to the Wild Wild Web
From ACM News

Goodbye to the Wild Wild Web

The Internet is changing, and the freewheeling, anything-goes culture of social media is being replaced by something more accountable.

Can an Algorithm Predict the Pandemic’s Next Moves?
From ACM News

Can an Algorithm Predict the Pandemic’s Next Moves?

Researchers have developed a model that uses social-media and search data to forecast outbreaks of Covid-19 well before they occur.

Australia Spending Nearly $1 Billion on Cyberdefense as China Tensions Rise
From ACM News

Australia Spending Nearly $1 Billion on Cyberdefense as China Tensions Rise

Officials promised to recruit at least 500 cyberspies and build on the country's offensive capabilities to take the online battle overseas.

Are Companies More Productive in a Pandemic?
From ACM News

Are Companies More Productive in a Pandemic?

Many claim their employees are hyper efficient while working from home. But there are social and emotional costs to ambition in isolation.

Reddit, Acting Against Hate Speech, Bans 'The_Donald' Subreddit
From ACM News

Reddit, Acting Against Hate Speech, Bans 'The_Donald' Subreddit

The influential pro-Trump community broke the rules on harassment and targeting, said Reddit, which also banned other groups.

Michael Hawley, Programmer, Professor and Pianist, Dies at 58
From ACM News

Michael Hawley, Programmer, Professor and Pianist, Dies at 58

A man of manifold interests, his achievements ranged from developing ideas behind the so-called Internet of Things to publishing the world's biggest book.

Wrongfully Accused by an Algorithm
From ACM News

Wrongfully Accused by an Algorithm

In what may be the first known case of its kind, a faulty facial recognition match led to a Michigan man's arrest for a crime he did not commit.

A Multibillion-Dollar Opportunity: Virus-Proofing the New Office
From ACM News

A Multibillion-Dollar Opportunity: Virus-Proofing the New Office

Tech, catering and design companies are rushing to sell employers on fever scanners, box lunches, and office floor-planning apps for social distancing. But it's...

Big Tech Zeros In on the Virus-Testing Market
From ACM News

Big Tech Zeros In on the Virus-Testing Market

As businesses grapple with how to safely reopen the workplace, some companies are rushing out new work force health-vetting and tracking tools.

Britain Didn’t Want Silicon Valley’s Help on a Tracing App. Now It Does.
From ACM News

Britain Didn’t Want Silicon Valley’s Help on a Tracing App. Now It Does.

Months after other countries, Britain will now use technology provided by Apple and Google to build a contact-tracing app.

China is Collecting DNA From Tens of Millions of Boys and Men, Using U.S. Equipment
From ACM News

China is Collecting DNA From Tens of Millions of Boys and Men, Using U.S. Equipment

Even children are pressed into giving blood samples to build a sweeping genetic database that will add to Beijing's growing surveillance capabilities.
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