Communications of the ACM
A Healthy Dose of AI
Building artificial intelligence into medical devices can speed diagnoses and potentially improve treatments and outcomes.
From ACM NewsAn edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
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.
From ACM TechNews
DGCA Nod Clears Runway for the Dawn of Drone Age
India's Directorate-General of Civil Aviation is permitting 13 companies to test fly beyond visual line of sigh (BVLOS) drones.
From ACM News
U.S. HHS Battles DDoS
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services networks were hit by a Distributed Denial of Service attack just as the coronavirus pandemic was ramping up.
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.
From ACM News
Riding Out Quarantine With a Chatbot Friend: ‘I Feel Very Connected’
The digital companions may sound like science fiction. But when social isolation became the norm, they helped deal with the loneliness, some users say.
From ACM TechNews
Activists Cite Tabulation Flaw in Georgia Mail-In Ballots
Thousands of votes in Georgia's primary may not have been counted, due to faulty software or poorly calibrated scanners used to count mailed ballots.
From ACM TechNews
Norway Pulls Its Coronavirus Contact Tracing App After Privacy Watchdog's Warning
Norway has suspended use of a coronavirus contact tracing application to allow changes to be made.
From ACM TechNews
Spies Can Eavesdrop by Watching a Light Bulb's Vibrations
Researchers have developed a long-distance eavesdropping method that exploits vibrations on the glass surface of a light bulb's interior.
From ACM News
Elite CIA Unit that Developed Hacking Tools Failed to Secure its Own Systems, Allowing Massive Leak
The breach came nearly three years after Edward Snowden stole and disclosed classified information about NSA surveillance operations.
From ACM News
Who’s a Bot? Who’s Not?
It sometimes seems automated bots are taking over social media and driving human discourse. But some (real) researchers aren't so sure.
From ACM TechNews
Researchers Turn to Wearable Tech in Race to Track Covid-19
Researchers are using wearable technologies that monitor fluctuations in biomarkers to collect real-time patient data, to try to track the spread of Covid-19.
From ACM News
Exit From the Covid-19 Lockdown: There's an App for That
The Dutch government wants every citizen to download an app for tracking and tracing potential Covid-19 infections, but the app does not yet exist.
From ACM TechNews
DARPA Invites Hackers to Break Hardware to Make It More Secure
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is inviting white-hat hackers to identify vulnerabilities in computer chips prior to their deployment.
From ACM TechNews
Self-Driving Cars That Recognize Free Space Can Better Detect Objects
Researchers have developed a method to improve self-driving vehicles's ability to detect objects by enabling them to recognize empty space.
From ACM News
Farewell to Gummy Bear Jars: Tech Offices Get a Virus Safety Makeover
Companies like Salesforce created workplaces with all the comforts of home, but now they may feel more like hospitals.
From ACM News
Access Denied: Faulty Automated Background Checks Freeze Out Renters
Computer algorithms that scan everything from terror watch lists to eviction records spit out flawed tenant screening reports. And almost nobody is watching.
From ACM News
Microsoft Bans Police Face Recognition Sales as Big Tech Reacts to Protests
The announcement came a day after rival Amazon.com declared it was pausing police use of its "Rekognition" service for a year.
From ACM TechNews
Younger People, Users of Niche Social Media Platforms More Likely to Share Covid-19 Disinformation
More than half of respondents to the study who shared disinformation were 39 or younger.
From ACM TechNews
U.S. Voting Data from Millions of People is Being Traded on the Dark Web
Researchers have found that data on millions of U.S. voters is being illegally traded on parts of the Internet not searchable using normal means.
From ACM TechNews