Communications of the ACM
The opinion archive provides access to past opinion stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
January 2020
From ACM Opinion
Virtual Reality Has An Accessibility Problem
Virtual reality has been touted as an "empathy machine" that lets users see what it's like to have a disability—but people with disabilities often can't use it.
From ACM Opinion
Does Artificial Intelligence Technology Foreshadow a New Arms Race?
The possibility of an artificial intelligence arms race poses a threat to international security similar to that of a conventional or nuclear armament race.
From ACM Opinion
AI Isn't a Solution to All Our Problems
It's simply a tool—and hardly a perfect one
From ACM Opinion
Google and Amazon Make Us Worse People
The narrowing of choice online all but forces us into decisions driven by impulse and necessity, eroding our values and conscience over time.
From ACM Opinion
We're Banning Facial Recognition. We're Missing the Point.
The whole point of modern surveillance is to treat people differently, and facial recognition technologies are only a small part of that.
From ACM Opinion
Don't Give Your Dot-org Domain Away to a Private Company
One of the Internet's most trusted assets — the dot-org domain used by nonprofits from UNICEF to your local food bank — is being hijacked.
From ACM Opinion
We're Approaching the Limits of Computer Power – We Need New Programmers Now
Ever-faster processors led to bloated software, but physical limits may force a return to the concise code of the past.
From ACM Opinion
Sovan Bin, CEO and Founder at Odaseva
Sovan Bin discusses Odaseva's data governance solutions, the evolution of cloud services, and AI and machine learning's influence in the cloud user experience.
From ACM Opinion
Host of Problems with Facebook Deepfake Ban, Expert Says
Facebook's newly announced ban on deepfake videos presents a number of challenges in the fight against the spread of misinformation, says Tim Weninger, associate professor of computer science at the University of Notre Dame.
…From Communications of the ACM
Increasing Automation in Policing
Seeking the delicate balance between civil liberties and policing public safety.
From Communications of the ACM
'Platformizing' a Bad Business Does Not Make It a Good Business
Transaction platforms link third-party applications and services providers with users.
From Communications of the ACM
Von Neumann Thought Turing's Universal Machine was 'Simple and Neat.': But That Didn't Tell Him How to Design a Computer
New discoveries answer an old question.
From Communications of the ACM
A* Search: What's in a Name?
A search for algorithmic answers returns unique results.
From Communications of the ACM
Ethics of Technology Needs More Political Philosophy
Incorporating considerations of reasonable pluralism, individual agency, and legitimate authority.