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A Court Is About to Make One of the Most Important Decisions in the History of the Internet
From ACM Opinion

A Court Is About to Make One of the Most Important Decisions in the History of the Internet

If you thought the battle over net neutrality ended when the Federal Communications Commission slapped a series of unprecedented rules on Internet providers last...

The Creepy, Inescapable Advertisements That Could Define Virtual Reality
From ACM Opinion

The Creepy, Inescapable Advertisements That Could Define Virtual Reality

When cookie giant Oreo wanted to promote its latest flavors, its marketing heads decided to spice up its traditional TV ads with something not just new, but otherworldly...

This One Thing Could Hurt Apple's Case in Washington
From ACM Opinion

This One Thing Could Hurt Apple's Case in Washington

Apple's fight with the FBI is widening beyond the courts.

Why Robots and Smart Thermostats Keep America's Spy Chief ­p at Night
From ACM Opinion

Why Robots and Smart Thermostats Keep America's Spy Chief ­p at Night

Some people are already used to having their personal information exposed in massive data breaches.

If Killer Robots Arrive, the Terminator Will Be the Least of Our Problems
From ACM Opinion

If Killer Robots Arrive, the Terminator Will Be the Least of Our Problems

Autonomous weapons experts sounded the alarm last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, cautioning that unless governments act to limit these...

The Case For Looking to the States, Not the Federal Government, to Protect Your Privacy
From ACM Opinion

The Case For Looking to the States, Not the Federal Government, to Protect Your Privacy

A year ago, President Obama stood behind a podium at the Federal Trade Commission and called for legislation that would set a single national standard for when...

Why It's So Hard For Washington to Draft Tech Companies Against the Islamic State
From ACM Opinion

Why It's So Hard For Washington to Draft Tech Companies Against the Islamic State

Here's the basic problem the government faces when it comes to stopping the Islamic State's Internet propaganda: It needs Silicon Valley's help. But some tech companies—even...

Driverless Cars Are Colliding with the Creepy Trolley Problem
From ACM Opinion

Driverless Cars Are Colliding with the Creepy Trolley Problem

Philosophers have been gnawing on the infamous Trolley Problem for decades, and it’s always been a purely intellectual exercise with no "right" answer.

Apple Is Learning an Expensive Lesson About ­niversities
From ACM Opinion

Apple Is Learning an Expensive Lesson About ­niversities

You may have heard that Apple's on the hook for $862 million in potential penalties after a jury ruled that it infringed on a patent owned by the University of...

'the Martian,' Nasa and the Rise of a Science-Entertainment Complex
From ACM Opinion

'the Martian,' Nasa and the Rise of a Science-Entertainment Complex

When Navy flyboy Tom Cruise got too close for missiles and switched to guns in the spring of 1986, what seemed like an entire nation got up to follow him.

How Tetris Explains the Promise of the ­ltimate Algorithm
From ACM Opinion

How Tetris Explains the Promise of the ­ltimate Algorithm

Pedro Domingos is a serious guy with big ambitions.

The Very Best Ideas For Preventing Artificial Intelligence from Wrecking the Planet
From ACM Opinion

The Very Best Ideas For Preventing Artificial Intelligence from Wrecking the Planet

The Boston-based Future of Life Institute, backed by a $10 million donation from Elon Musk, recently announced its list of 37 winners of research grants in the....

6 Reasons Why We're ­nderhyping the Internet of Things
From ACM Opinion

6 Reasons Why We're ­nderhyping the Internet of Things

Just when you thought the Internet of Things couldn't possibly live up to its hype, along comes a blockbuster, 142-page report from McKinsey Global Institute ("The...

The Latest Oculus Headset Made Me Want to Throw ­p. In a Good Way.
From ACM Opinion

The Latest Oculus Headset Made Me Want to Throw ­p. In a Good Way.

Virtual reality and its viability as a consumer technology is a huge theme at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, a Los Angeles convention for the video...

How the Astros Baseball Hack Explains Chinese Cyberespionage
From ACM Opinion

How the Astros Baseball Hack Explains Chinese Cyberespionage

Two major cybersecurity scandals are currently making headlines: One is the hack of an internal network belonging to a Major League Baseball team, allegedly bya...

No One Questions Google's Ability to Innovate, So Why Do Its Moonshots Look Like Money Pits?
From ACM Opinion

No One Questions Google's Ability to Innovate, So Why Do Its Moonshots Look Like Money Pits?

Consider a question that we have been puzzling over at the World Economic Forum.

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 Real Winners in the Fight Over Government Surveillance
From ACM Opinion

The Real Winners in the Fight Over Government Surveillance

After the Senate passed legislation aimed at reforming a program that collected data about the phone calls of millions of Americans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch...

How the Battle For the Future of the Web Is Shaped By Economics
From ACM Opinion

How the Battle For the Future of the Web Is Shaped By Economics

There are two stories people are trying to tell right now about the future of the Internet.

The White House Just Snagged One of the Most Valuable Players in the Tech Policy World
From ACM Opinion

The White House Just Snagged One of the Most Valuable Players in the Tech Policy World

The White House is adding one of the tech policy world's most valuable players to its roster: Princeton Professor Ed Felten.
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