Communications of the ACM
Generative AI Degrades Online Communities
How large language models are influencing online communities.
From ACM Opinion
How to Design—and Defend Against—the Perfect Security Backdoor
We already know the NSA wants to eavesdrop on the Internet.
From ACM Opinion
A Court Order Is an Insider Attack
Commentators on the Lavabit case, including the judge himself, have criticized Lavabit for designing its system in a way that resisted court-ordered access to user...
From ACM Opinion
Think You Can Live Offline Without Being Tracked? Here's What It Takes
Nico Sell, the cofounder of a secure communication app called Wickr, has appeared on television twice.
From ACM News
Here's Everything You Should Know About Nsa Address Book Spying in One Faq
A new report from The Washington Post, based on documents provided by whistleblower Edward Snowden, reveals that the National Security Agency is collecting hundreds...
From ACM Opinion
Breaking the Internet
Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff's recent indictment of the United States' cyber-spying practices has profound global repercussions for the U.S vision of a borderless...
From ACM Opinion
Playing War: How the Military ses Video Games
According to popular discourse, video games are either the divine instrument of education’s future or the software of Satan himself, provoking young men to carry...
From ACM Opinion
The Double Danger of the Nsa's 'collect It All' Policy on Surveillance
By now, most people are aware that the NSA collects massive amounts of information on ordinary Americans.
From ACM Opinion
The Evil Genius of Fantasy Football
Watching football means watching young men damage their brains.
From ACM Opinion
Here's Why Cops Should Be Required to Wear a Lapel Camera While on Duty
Police officers in Rialto, Calif., carry cameras to record their every action while on duty.
From ACM Opinion
The Many Meanings of Open
I was recently asked to talk about the idea of "open," and I realized the term is used in at least eight different ways.
From ACM Opinion
Want to Evade Nsa Spying? Don't Connect to the Internet
Since I started working with Snowden’s documents, I have been using a number of tools to try to stay secure from the NSA.
From ACM Opinion
The Lessons of Aaron Swartz
On the day after Aaron Swartz's death in January, President Reif and I spoke about how MIT might respond to the breaking news of his suicide.
From ACM Opinion
How to Manage Your Digital Afterlife
After their son's suicide, one Wisconsin couple was desperate for answers.
From ACM Opinion
Scientists Must Spearhead Ethical se of Big Data
The recent revelation that the National Security Agency collects the personal data of United States citizens, allies and enemies alike has broken the traditional...
From ACM News
Your Digital Trail, And How It Can Be sed Against You
While the collection of private information by the National Security Agency is under scrutiny worldwide, a remarkable amount of your digital trail is also available...
From ACM Opinion
Why Free Software Is More Important Now Than Ever Before
It is now 30 years since I launched the campaign for freedom in computing, that is, for software to be free or "libre" (we use that word to emphasize that we're...
From ACM Opinion
At 15, Google's Ambitions Remain nbridled
Google turned 15 on Friday, smack in the middle of its adolescence.
From ACM Opinion
Large Patent Holders Hate This Reform Proposal. That’s a Good Sign.
The fight over patent reform has turned into a two-front war.
From ACM Opinion
The Fatal Mistake That Doomed Blackberry
Beleaguered gadgetmaker BlackBerry said on Monday that it's signed a tentative agreement to be purchased by a group led by Canadian holding company Fairfax Financial...
From ACM Opinion