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
How E-Maps Curtail Our Freedom
Electronic maps are arguably the quintessential innovation of 20th-century cartography. Although a few academic cartographers accord the map mystical powers, it...
From ACM Opinion
Wikileaks Fails "due Diligence" Review
In the past week, both the Washington Post and the New York Times have referred to WikiLeaks.org, the web site that publishes confidential records, as a "whistleblower"...
From ACM Opinion
Are Cells the New Cigarettes?
The great cosmic joke would be to find out definitively that the advances we thought were blessings--from the hormones women pump into their bodies all their lives...
From Communications of the ACM
Advice to Members Seeking ACM Distinction
ACM's Distinguished Member Recognition Program recognizes members in three categories: Educator, Engineer, and Scientist. Each category...
From Communications of the ACM
Cultivating Cultural Diversity in Information Technology
Introducing CMD-IT, a new center focused on synergistic activities related to ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.
From Communications of the ACM
Should the Google Book Settlement Be Approved?
Considering the precedent that could be established by approval of the controversial Google book settlement.
From Communications of the ACM
Work Life in the Robotic Age
Technological change results in changes in expectations, in this case affecting the workplace.
From Communications of the ACM
Outsourcing Versus Shared Services
Choosing between outsourcing and shared services has significant implications for long-term corporate strategy.
From ACM Opinion
Against Instant Replay
Extraordinary cases make bad law. In a sense, Armando Galarraga’s non-perfect perfect game, spoiled by an umpire’s call on what should have been the 27th out, offers...
From Communications of the ACM
Institutional Review Boards and Your Research
Researchers in computer science departments throughout the U.S. are violating federal law and their own organization's...
From Communications of the ACM
Intel's Rebates: Above Board or Below the Belt?
Over several years, Intel paid billions of dollars to its customers. Was it to force them to boycott products developed by its rival AMD or so they could sell its...
From Communications of the ACM
Privacy By Design: Moving From Art to Practice
Designing privacy into systems at the beginning of the development process necessitates the effective translation of privacy principles, models, and mechanisms...
From Communications of the ACM
Myths and Fallacies of 'Personally Identifiable Information'
Developing effective privacy protection technologies is a critical challenge for security and privacy research as the amount and variety of data collected about...
From ACM Opinion
How the .s. Military Can Win the Robotic Revolution
One of the great conundrums of war and technology is the odd fact that there is no such thing as a permanent first-mover advantage.
From ACM Opinion
The Cyborg Insects Are Coming!
Telepathic helmets. Grid-computing swarms of cyborg insects, some for surveillance, some with lethal stingers. New cognitive-enhancement drugs. (What? AdderallProvigil...
From ACM Opinion
Web Browsers Leave 'fingerprints' Behind as You Surf the Net
New research by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has found that an overwhelming majority of web browsers have unique signatures--creating identifiable "fingerprints"...
From ACM Opinion
Immigration and Ids: A Modest Proposal
All Americans--whether brown, white, or black--should be required to carry a passport showing they are red, white, and blue.
From ACM Opinion
Apple: The Microsoft of Mobile?
Apple could soon be the target of an antitrust investigation by either the Federal Trade Commission or the Department of Justice, according to numerous press reports...
From ACM Opinion
Facebook's 'evil Interfaces'
Social networking companies don't have it easy. Advertisers covet their users' data, and in a niche that often seems to lack a clear business model, selling (or...
From ACM Opinion