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subjectComputers And Society
authorThe Washington Post
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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.


The Strange Link Between Global Climate Change and the Rise of the Robots
From ACM TechNews

The Strange Link Between Global Climate Change and the Rise of the Robots

A recent paper concluded humans would not stand a chance against super-intelligent robots following a hypothetical mass extinction event. 

­.S. Developing Sanctions Against China Over Cyberthefts
From ACM News

­.S. Developing Sanctions Against China Over Cyberthefts

The Obama administration is developing a package of unprecedented economic sanctions against Chinese companies and individuals who have benefited from their government's...

Standardized Tests May Be Holding Back the Next Generation of Computer Programmers
From ACM TechNews

Standardized Tests May Be Holding Back the Next Generation of Computer Programmers

Educating students to pass standardized tests, which command most school administrators' time, leaves little room for computer science classes to train the next...

Could Hackers Take Down a City?
From ACM TechNews

Could Hackers Take Down a City?

Researchers warn of the possibility of cyberattackers crippling a city because of urban centers' increasing reliance on technology. 

Why the Ftc Is Showing ­p at Hackers' Biggest Conferences
From ACM Opinion

Why the Ftc Is Showing ­p at Hackers' Biggest Conferences

The Federal Trade Commission, the de facto federal watchdog for consumers' privacy and data security, knows it needs help.

This Small Change Could Make a Big Difference For Accessible Technology
From ACM TechNews

This Small Change Could Make a Big Difference For Accessible Technology

Yahoo, Facebook, and several other technology companies said they will inform job applicants that accessibility knowledge is "preferred" to land a job with them...

Inside the Fake Town in Michigan Where Self-Driving Cars Are Being Tested
From ACM News

Inside the Fake Town in Michigan Where Self-Driving Cars Are Being Tested

Later this year a Michigan pedestrian named Sebastian will spend his days throwing himself in the path of speeding cars.

Watson's Next Feat? Taking on Cancer
From ACM TechNews

Watson's Next Feat? Taking on Cancer

IBM's Watson supercomputer is being trained to find personalized cancer treatments. 

June Will End with a Rare 61-Second Minute
From ACM News

June Will End with a Rare 61-Second Minute

We'll need to wait for July just a shade longer, as the world's timekeepers have added a leap second June 30—to officially keep Earth and our precise, atomic clocks...

A Disaster Foretold — and Ignored
From ACM News

A Disaster Foretold — and Ignored

LOpht's warnings about the Internet drew notice, but little action.

Inside an MIT Researcher's Grand Plan to Create the Personal Food Computer
From ACM TechNews

Inside an MIT Researcher's Grand Plan to Create the Personal Food Computer

The CityFarm research group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab seeks to expand the emerging field of vertical farming. 

Facial Recognition Technology Is Everywhere. It May Not Be Legal.
From ACM News

Facial Recognition Technology Is Everywhere. It May Not Be Legal.

Being anonymous in public might be a thing of the past.

The Government's High-Tech Plan For Identifying You Based on Your Tattoos
From ACM TechNews

The Government's High-Tech Plan For Identifying You Based on Your Tattoos

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology has reviewed the results of a challenge to develop systems to identify a person based on their tattoos.

How the Country's Top Privacy Cop Is Trying to Protect Consumers in the Digital Age
From ACM Opinion

How the Country's Top Privacy Cop Is Trying to Protect Consumers in the Digital Age

As the digital economy has exploded, tech companies are collecting untold amounts of data on everyday Americans.

The Long Life of a Quick 'fix'
From ACM News

The Long Life of a Quick 'fix'

By the time a pair of engineers sat down for lunch together in Austin, the Internet's growing pains had become dire.

A Flaw in the Design
From ACM News

A Flaw in the Design

The Internet’s founders saw its promise but didn’t foresee users attacking one another.

Tech Giants Don’t Want Obama to Give Police Access to Encrypted Phone Data
From ACM News

Tech Giants Don’t Want Obama to Give Police Access to Encrypted Phone Data

Technology companies, trade associations, and security and policy experts are urging President Obama to reject proposals to weaken security of communication devices...

Google, Nasa Work Together on Disney Show to Inspire Girls Into Sciences
From ACM TechNews

Google, Nasa Work Together on Disney Show to Inspire Girls Into Sciences

Disney Junior wants a new show it is developing to help bury media stereotypes about science and programmers.

Wearable Gadgets Portend Vast Health, Research, and Privacy Consequences
From ACM TechNews

Wearable Gadgets Portend Vast Health, Research, and Privacy Consequences

New devices can provide the average person with unprecedented access to quantifiable information about their bodies. 

As Encryption Spreads, U.s. Grapples with Clash Between Privacy, Security
From ACM News

As Encryption Spreads, U.s. Grapples with Clash Between Privacy, Security

For months, federal law enforcement agencies and industry have been deadlocked on a highly contentious issue: Should tech companies be obliged to guarantee government...
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