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
Facebook's Brilliant Disaster
So I guess you've heard about the recent initial public offering that didn't turn out the way it was supposed to. The company's Wall Street advisers misjudged the...
From ACM Opinion
Can Facebook 'monetize Eyeballs?'
In the days of the Internet bubble of the mid to late 1990s, companies received millions of dollars of venture capital to offer products that weren't especially...
From Communications of the ACM
The Cybersecurity Risk
Increased attention to cybersecurity has not resulted in improved cybersecurity.
From Communications of the ACM
Scale Failure
Using a tool for the wrong job is OK until the day when it isn't.
From Communications of the ACM
Security of the Internet and the Known Unknowns
Seeking answers to questions about Internet vulnerabilities.
From Communications of the ACM
The Myth of the Elevator Pitch
Instead of pitching, listen and offer.
From Communications of the ACM
Why Computer Scientists Should Care About Cyber Conflict and U.S. National Security Policy
Cybersecurity and policy issues for computer scientists.
From ACM Opinion
'barcode Everyone at Birth'
If I were empress of the Universe I would insist on every individual having a unique ID permanently attached—a barcode if you will—an implanted chip to provide...
From ACM Opinion
Why the Internet Makes It Impossible to Stop Giant Wall Street Losses
In 1984, Yale sociologist Charles Perrow published his classic book, Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies. The odd term, "normal accident," Perrow...
From ACM Opinion
First Amendment Protection For Search Engine Search Results
Google commissioned me to write this White Paper ("First Amendment Protection for Search Engine Search Results"), so I thought I’d pass it along. I wrote the paper...
From ACM Opinion
Beware the Creeping Cracks of Bias
Alarming cracks are starting to penetrate deep into the scientific edifice. They threaten the status of science and its value to society. And they cannot be blamed...
From ACM Careers
Why Do Our Best and Brightest End p in Silicon Valley and Not D.c.?
Recently I visited one of the primary ventricles of Silicon Valley's investment culture, Google Ventures.
From ACM News
The Giants Among S
The patent world is quietly undergoing a change of seismic proportions. In a few short years, a handful of entities have amassed vast treasuries of patents on an...
From ACM Opinion
.n. Efforts Put Internet Freedom at Risk
A mounting effort to transform a United Nations agency into a global Internet regulator is threatening to undo decades of policymaking that helped the Internet...
From ACM Opinion
How a Private Data Market Could Ruin Facebook
To justify its sky-high valuation, Facebook will have to increase its profit per user at rates that seem unlikely, even by the most generous predictions.
From ACM Opinion
Why the Death of DRM Would Be Good News for Readers, Writers, and Publishers
At the end of April, Tor Books, the world's largest science fiction publisher, and its UK sister company, Tor UK, announced that they would be eliminating digital...
From ACM Opinion
Is It Time To Stop Trusting Google?
Was Google's snooping on home Wi-Fi users the work of a rogue software engineer? Was it a deliberate corporate strategy? Was it simply an honest-to-goodness mistake...
From ACM Opinion