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What Social Media Regulation Could Look Like
From ACM Opinion

What Social Media Regulation Could Look Like

Think of pipelines, not utilities.

Why the Prospect of the IRS Using Facial Recognition Is So Alarming
From ACM Opinion

Why the Prospect of the IRS Using Facial Recognition Is So Alarming

The U.S. government should put more care and due diligence into its use and advocacy of facial recognition technology

As Governments Adopt Artificial Intelligence, There's Little Oversight and Lots of Danger
From ACM Opinion

As Governments Adopt Artificial Intelligence, There's Little Oversight and Lots of Danger

Artificial intelligence systems can—if properly used—help make government more effective and responsive, improving the lives of citizens. Improperly used, however...

Despite Consumer Worries, the Future of Aviation Will Be More Automated
From ACM Opinion

Despite Consumer Worries, the Future of Aviation Will Be More Automated

In the wake of the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes of Boeing 737 Max planes, people are thinking about how much of their air travel is handled by software...

Cars Are Regulated for Safety, Why Not Information Technology?
From ACM Opinion

Cars Are Regulated for Safety, Why Not Information Technology?

As the computing industry grapples with its role in society, many people, both in the field and outside it, are talking about a crisis of ethics.

Don't Be Fooled by Fake Images and Videos Online
From ACM Opinion

Don't Be Fooled by Fake Images and Videos Online

One month before the 2016 U.S. presidential election, an "Access Hollywood" recording of Donald Trump was released in which he was heard lewdly talking about women...

People Don't Trust Blockchain Systems. Is Regulation a Way to Help?
From ACM Opinion

People Don't Trust Blockchain Systems. Is Regulation a Way to Help?

Blockchain technology isn't as widely used as it could be, largely because blockchain users don't trust each other, as research shows.

The Quiet Threat Inside 'Internet of Things' Devices
From ACM Opinion

The Quiet Threat Inside 'Internet of Things' Devices

As Americans increasingly buy and install smart devices in their homes, all those cheap interconnected devices create new security problems for individuals and...

Countering Russian Disinformation the Baltic Nations' Way
From ACM News

Countering Russian Disinformation the Baltic Nations' Way

As the new Congress begins, it will soon discuss the comprehensive reports to the U.S. Senate on the disinformation campaign of half-truths, outright fabrications...

Colonizing Mars Means Contaminating Mars, and Never Knowing for Sure If It Had Its Own Native Life
From ACM Opinion

Colonizing Mars Means Contaminating Mars, and Never Knowing for Sure If It Had Its Own Native Life

The closest place in the universe where extraterrestrial life might exist is Mars, and human beings are poised to attempt to colonize this planetary neighbor within...

Even a Few Bots Can Shift Public Opinion in Big Ways
From ACM Opinion

Even a Few Bots Can Shift Public Opinion in Big Ways

Nearly two-thirds of the social media bots with political activity on Twitter before the 2016 U.S. presidential election supported Donald Trump.

My Thoughts Are My Password, Because My Brain Reactions Are ­nique
From ACM Opinion

My Thoughts Are My Password, Because My Brain Reactions Are ­nique

Your brain is an inexhaustible source of secure passwords—but you might not have to remember anything. Passwords and PINs with letters and numbers are relatively...

Blockchains Won't Fix Internet Voting Security, and Could Make It Worse
From ACM Opinion

Blockchains Won't Fix Internet Voting Security, and Could Make It Worse

Looking to modernize voting practices, speed waiting times at the polls, increase voter turnout and generally make voting more convenient, many government officials—and...

Why We're Training the Next Generation of Lawyers in Big Data
From ACM Opinion

Why We're Training the Next Generation of Lawyers in Big Data

Artificial intelligence is transforming the traditional delivery of legal services.

Why the Russians Might Hack the Boy Scouts Next
From ACM Opinion

Why the Russians Might Hack the Boy Scouts Next

In the two years since Russia made headlines for targeting an American political organization–the Democratic National Committee–and undermining Hillary Clinton's...

Detecting 'DeepFake' Videos in the Blink of an Eye
From ACM Opinion

Detecting 'DeepFake' Videos in the Blink of an Eye

A new form of misinformation is poised to spread through online communities as the 2018 midterm election campaigns heat up. Called "deepfakes" after the pseudonymous...

Programmers Need Ethics When Designing the Technologies that Influence People's Lives
From ACM Opinion

Programmers Need Ethics When Designing the Technologies that Influence People's Lives

Computing professionals are on the front lines of almost every aspect of the modern world.

Weaponized Information Seeks a New Target in Cyberspace: Users' Minds
From ACM Opinion

Weaponized Information Seeks a New Target in Cyberspace: Users' Minds

The Russian attacks on the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the country's continuing election-related hacking have happened across all three dimensions of cyberspace—physical...

Supreme Court Struggles to Define 'Searches' as Technology Changes
From ACM Opinion

Supreme Court Struggles to Define 'Searches' as Technology Changes

What the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution means when it protects citizens against an unreasonable search by government agents isn't entirely clear.

Disrupting Pro-ISIS Online 'Ecosystems' Could Help Thwart Real-World Terrorism
From ACM Opinion

Disrupting Pro-ISIS Online 'Ecosystems' Could Help Thwart Real-World Terrorism

Supporters of the Islamic State, or ISIS, around the world gather online, becoming members of virtual communities in much the same way any of us might join online...
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