Communications of the ACM
The opinion archive provides access to past opinion stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
March 2012
From ACM Opinion
The Dark Side of Facebook
Your social networking pages are being policed by outsourced, unvetted moderators from third-world countries paid just $1 an hour.
From ACM News
Here's The Best (and Prettiest) Way To See Exactly How You're Being Tracked Online
Firefox-browser provider Mozilla has released an awesome new tool for seeing how you're being tracked on the Web.
From ACM TechNews
Stroustrup Reveals What's New in C++ 11
Texas A&M University professor Bjarne Stroustrup recently spoke with InfoWorld's Paul Krill about the past, present, and future of C++, which was recently upgraded via the C++ 11 release.
From ACM Opinion
Why Driverless Cars Will Increase Tensions in Cities and Suburbs Alike
Driverless cars sound less and less like science fiction with each passing month, and that's prompted widespread discussion about how they might change society.
From ACM Opinion
Https and Tor: Working Together to Protect Your Privacy and Security Online
This week EFF released a new version its HTTPS Everywhere extension for the Firefox browser and debuted a beta version of the extension for Chrome. EFF frequently recommends that Internet users who are concerned about protecting…
From ACM Opinion
Windows Without Windows
Microsoft's new version of Windows is fantastic, jarring, and risky at the same time. Fantastic because it marks the clearest sign yet that Microsoft is embracing the future, shifting from the device that defined the company—the…
From Communications of the ACM
The Idea Idea
What if practices rather than ideas are the main source of innovation?
From Communications of the ACM
Training Users vs. Training Soldiers: Experiences from the Battlefield
How military training methods can be applied to more effectively teach computer users.
From Communications of the ACM
The Artificiality of Natural User Interfaces
Toward user-defined gestural interfaces.
From Communications of the ACM
Q&A: Chief Strategiest
ACM CEO John White talks about initiatives to serve the organization's professional members, increase international activities, and reform computer science education.
From Communications of the ACM
War 2.0: Cyberweapons and Ethics
Considering the basic ethical questions that must be resolved in the new realm of cyberwarfare.
From Communications of the ACM
Do Software Copyrights Protect What Programs Do?
A case before the European Court of Justice has significant implications for innovation and competition in the software industry.