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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...

Power Wars: How Obama Justified, Expanded Bush-Era Surveillance
From ACM Opinion

Power Wars: How Obama Justified, Expanded Bush-Era Surveillance

Over the winter holidays, I took some well-needed time offline, away from e-mail and social media.

Having a Conversation About Bulk Surveillance
From Communications of the ACM

Having a Conversation About Bulk Surveillance

Considering a controversial subject that extends far beyond the collection of phone metadata.

Lessons from the Tech Transfer Trenches
From Communications of the ACM

Lessons from the Tech Transfer Trenches

Moving from the research realm to real-world business application.

Code Hoarding
From Communications of the ACM

Code Hoarding

Committing to commits, and the beauty of summarizing graphs.

Broadening Access to Computing Education State By State
From Communications of the ACM

Broadening Access to Computing Education State By State

Influencing computer science education at the state level.

Privacy Research Directions
From Communications of the ACM

Privacy Research Directions

What must we learn in order to support privacy requirements as technology advances?

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...

Space Mining Could Set Off a Star War
From ACM Opinion

Space Mining Could Set Off a Star War

Space is lousy with profits.

'crispr' Breaks Out Of the Lab
From ACM Opinion

'crispr' Breaks Out Of the Lab

A new gene-editing technology has been relentlessly hyped over the past year, and it goes by a catchy if rather incongruous acronym: Crispr.

What Makes a 'smart Gun' Smart?
From ACM Opinion

What Makes a 'smart Gun' Smart?

Every time a toddler accidentally shoots a friend or family member, a teen kills himself via gunshot or a shooter perpetrates an act of mass violence, public discussion...

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...

In 2016, Terror Suspects and 7-Eleven Thieves May Bring Surveillance to Supreme Court
From ACM Opinion

In 2016, Terror Suspects and 7-Eleven Thieves May Bring Surveillance to Supreme Court

It has now been 2.5 years since the first Snowden revelations were published. And in 2015, government surveillance marched on in both large (the National Security...

In 2015, Promising Surveillance Cases Ran Into Legal Brick Walls
From ACM Opinion

In 2015, Promising Surveillance Cases Ran Into Legal Brick Walls

Today, the first Snowden disclosures in 2013 feel like a distant memory.

Security's Biggest Winners and Losers in 2015
From ACM Opinion

Security's Biggest Winners and Losers in 2015

This year, lawmakers surprised us by taking initial steps—albeit, baby ones—to rein in some of the NSA's mass spying and provide better oversight of the intelligence...

Learning to Apply Data Science to Business Problems
From ACM Opinion

Learning to Apply Data Science to Business Problems

One of the most exciting parts of data science is that it can be applied to many domains of knowledge, given our newfound ability to gather valuable data on almost...

And Science's Breakthrough of the Year Is …
From ACM Opinion

And Science's Breakthrough of the Year Is …

It was conceived after a yogurt company in 2007 identified an unexpected defense mechanism that its bacteria use to fight off viruses.

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.

The Dark Side of the Coming Chatbot Revolution
From ACM Opinion

The Dark Side of the Coming Chatbot Revolution

Artificial intelligence is coming to a messaging app near you.

Genome-Editing Revolution: My Whirlwind Year with Crispr
From ACM Opinion

Genome-Editing Revolution: My Whirlwind Year with Crispr

Some 20 months ago, I started having trouble sleeping.
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