Communications of the ACM
Innovation Is Overrated: A Provocation
Digital innovation is not working in the interest of the whole of society. It is time to radically rethink its purpose without…
From ACM Opinion
The Cybersecurity Argument For and Against Device Encryption
Government officials argue that encrypted communication poses national security risks. But tech companies say that making it possible to unlock devices would make...
From ACM Opinion
How the Internet of Things Limits Consumer Choice
In theory, the Internet of Things—the connected network of tiny computers inside home appliances, household objects, even clothing—promises to make your life easier...
From Communications of the ACM
Why Knowledge Representation Matters
A personal story: From philosophy to software.
From Communications of the ACM
Unbalanced Data Leads to Obsolete Economic Advice
Few computer scientists and technological workers worry about their role in the economies of their industries and their countries. Background supplementary material...
From Communications of the ACM
Where Code Comes From: Architectures of Automatic Control from Babbage to Algol
Considering the evolving concept of programming.
From Communications of the ACM
Extrapolating from Moore's Law
Behind and beyond Microsoft, Intel, and Apple.
From Communications of the ACM
Biometric Identity
Assessing the promises and dangers of biometric identity plans.
From ACM Opinion
5 Amazing and Alarming Things That May Be Done with Your Dna
"You're a male, you're 34-years-old and your 5-foot-10 1/2 inches tall." That's a prediction that Craig Venter, long a pioneer on the frontier of genomics, offered...
From ACM Opinion
Elon Musk's Billion-Dollar AI Plan Is About Far More Than Saving the World
Elon Musk and Sam Altman worry that artificial intelligence will take over the world. So, the two entrepreneurs are creating a billion-dollar not-for-profit company...
From ACM Opinion
What the Government Should've Learned About Backdoors from the Clipper Chip
In the face of a Federal Bureau of Investigation proposal requesting backdoors into encrypted communications, a noted encryption expert urged Congress not to adopt...
From ACM Opinion
Let's Outlaw Math
In the name of protecting us against terrorists, law enforcement agencies want high tech companies to relinquish their Golden Keys, backdoors to their otherwise...
From ACM Opinion
Eric Schmidt on How to Build a Better Web
Turning Point: The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria declares a war on Twitter.
From ACM Opinion
Pop Culture Is Finally Getting Hacking Right
The idea of a drill-wielding hacker who runs a deep-web empire selling drugs to teens seems like a fantasy embodying the worst of digital technology.
From ACM Opinion
Dark Clouds Over the Internet
The Internet is routinely described as borderless, and that is often how it feels.
From ACM Opinion
No, Nsa Phone Spying Has Not Ended
At 11:59 P.M. on Saturday night, the U.S. National Security Agency supposedly yanked the cord on its bulk telephone records collection, thereby ending an expansive...
From ACM Opinion
Metadata Surveillance Didn't Stop the Paris Attacks
Since terrorists struck Paris last Friday night, the debate over whether encryption prevents intelligence services from stopping attacks has reignited.
From Communications of the ACM
Creating a New Generation of Computational Thinkers
Experiences with a successful school program in Scotland.
From Communications of the ACM
The Case For Banning Killer Robots: Point
Ban the bots? Considering both sides of the argument for and against.
From Communications of the ACM