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If Apple Aids Terrorists and the Fbi Is Big Brother… Whom Do We Root For?
From ACM Opinion

If Apple Aids Terrorists and the Fbi Is Big Brother… Whom Do We Root For?

There's been a lot of bluster about the ongoing encryption saga between the FBI and Apple.

The Question of Information Justice
From Communications of the ACM

The Question of Information Justice

Information justice is both a business concern and a moral question.

Snowden Lawyer: Bill of Rights Was Meant to Make Government's Job 'more Difficult'
From ACM Opinion

Snowden Lawyer: Bill of Rights Was Meant to Make Government's Job 'more Difficult'

Ben Wizner, a top attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union, is probably best known for being one of the lawyers representing Ed Snowden, the former National...

How Apple's Stand Against the Fbi Could Backfire
From ACM Opinion

How Apple's Stand Against the Fbi Could Backfire

The skirmish between Apple and the FBI is quickly escalating to a battle royal, a fight to the finish over lofty principles and national values, involving not just...

How to Build an ­nbeatable Poker-Playing Robot
From ACM Opinion

How to Build an ­nbeatable Poker-Playing Robot

Each summer, the computer-science researchers behind the world's best poker-playing robots bring their creations together for a tournament.

We Could Not Look the Survivors in the Eye If We Did Not Follow This Lead
From ACM Opinion

We Could Not Look the Survivors in the Eye If We Did Not Follow This Lead

The San Bernardino litigation isn't about trying to set a precedent or send any kind of message.

To Keep America Safe, Embrace Drone Warfare
From ACM Opinion

To Keep America Safe, Embrace Drone Warfare

"Are you sure they're there?" the decision maker asks. "They" are Qaeda operatives who have been planning attacks against the United States.

Telegraph to the Iphone: A Short History of Corporate Defiance
From ACM Opinion

Telegraph to the Iphone: A Short History of Corporate Defiance

The high-stakes stalemate between Apple and the Justice Department isn’t the first time that Washington and Silicon Valley have come to a showdown over security...

Apple's Fbi Battle Is Complicated. Here's What's Really Going On
From ACM News

Apple's Fbi Battle Is Complicated. Here's What's Really Going On

The news this week that a magistrate ordered Apple to help the FBI hack an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooter suspects has polarized the nation—and...

Nsa Chief: 'paris Would Not Have Happened' Without Encrypted Apps
From ACM Opinion

Nsa Chief: 'paris Would Not Have Happened' Without Encrypted Apps

National Security Agency Director Adm. Michael Rogers warns that encryption is making it "much more difficult" for the agency to intercept the communications of...

The President's Nsa Advisory Board Finally Gets a Tech Expert
From ACM Opinion

The President's Nsa Advisory Board Finally Gets a Tech Expert

It's taken more than a decade, but a critical oversight board tasked with advising the president on the privacy and civil liberties implications of the NSA's surveillance...

The Apple Fight Isn't About Encryption
From ACM Opinion

The Apple Fight Isn't About Encryption

The most striking aspect of Apple's message to customers on Tuesday wasn't the rejection of U.S. authorities' demand that the company help them break the encryption...

Eff to Support Apple in Encryption Battle
From ACM Opinion

Eff to Support Apple in Encryption Battle

We learned on Tuesday evening that a U.S. federal magistrate judge ordered Apple to backdoor an iPhone that was used by one of the perpetrators of the San Bernardino...

Is D-Wave's Quantum Processor Really 10⁸ Times Faster Than a Normal Computer?
From ACM Opinion

Is D-Wave's Quantum Processor Really 10⁸ Times Faster Than a Normal Computer?

We have been following D-Wave's claims about its quantum hardware at Ars for a number of years. Over that time, my impression has oscillated between skepticism,...

Why Robots and Smart Thermostats Keep America's Spy Chief ­p at Night
From ACM Opinion

Why Robots and Smart Thermostats Keep America's Spy Chief ­p at Night

Some people are already used to having their personal information exposed in massive data breaches.

Moore's Law Really Is Dead This Time
From ACM Opinion

Moore's Law Really Is Dead This Time

Moore's law has died at the age of 51 after an extended illness.

How the Microscope Redefined the Fact
From ACM Opinion

How the Microscope Redefined the Fact

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the inverse is also true: A word is worth a thousand pictures.

Y'all Have a Texas Accent? Siri (and the World) Might Be Slowly Killing It
From ACM Opinion

Y'all Have a Texas Accent? Siri (and the World) Might Be Slowly Killing It

It was a simple enough question, at least in this part of the world.

Obama's Cybersecurity Plan Is Meant to Secure His Legacy
From ACM Opinion

Obama's Cybersecurity Plan Is Meant to Secure His Legacy

The end of White House terms are often about trying to shape historic legacies, and President Obama is out to build his in the new area of cybersecurity.

Congress Starts to Get Serious About Online Privacy
From ACM Opinion

Congress Starts to Get Serious About Online Privacy

Congress could soon vote on a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to get a search warrant from a judge to obtain emails, photographs and other documents...
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