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An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


How the End of Patriot Act Provisions Changes Nsa Surveillance
From ACM News

How the End of Patriot Act Provisions Changes Nsa Surveillance

Thanks to resistance from Senator Rand Paul and other members of the Senate, the provisions of the USA Patriot Act that were used to justify the National Security...

Researchers Craft Network Attack to 'hack' Surgical Robot (sort Of)
From ACM News

Researchers Craft Network Attack to 'hack' Surgical Robot (sort Of)

As part of a series of experiments, a group of researchers at the University of Washington's BioRobotics Lab launched denial-of-service attacks against a remotely...

Project Elysium Wants to ­se Vr to Revive Deceased Loved Ones
From ACM News

Project Elysium Wants to ­se Vr to Revive Deceased Loved Ones

How far is too far when it comes to pushing the boundaries of virtual reality?

2,636 Icelandic Genomes Pinpoint Risk For Alzheimer's, Other Diseases
From ACM News

2,636 Icelandic Genomes Pinpoint Risk For Alzheimer's, Other Diseases

An Icelandic genetics firm has sequenced the genomes of 2,636 of its countrymen and women, finding genetic markers for a variety of diseases, as well as a new timeline...

Surveillance-Based Manipulation: How Facebook or Google Could Tilt Elections
From ACM Opinion

Surveillance-Based Manipulation: How Facebook or Google Could Tilt Elections

Someone who knows things about us has some measure of control over us, and someone who knows everything about us has a lot of control over us.

Secrets Become History: Edward Snowden in Citizenfour Wins Documentary Oscar
From ACM Opinion

Secrets Become History: Edward Snowden in Citizenfour Wins Documentary Oscar

Citizenfour is filmmaker Laura Poitras' account of the first meetings between herself, Glenn Greenwald, and Edward Snowden.

How Hackers Could Attack Hard Drives to Create a Pervasive Backdoor
From ACM News

How Hackers Could Attack Hard Drives to Create a Pervasive Backdoor

News that a hacking group within or associated with the National Security Agency compromised the firmware of hard drive controllers from a number of manufacturers...

If Software Looks Like a Brain and Acts Like a Brain—will We Treat It Like One?
From ACM News

If Software Looks Like a Brain and Acts Like a Brain—will We Treat It Like One?

Long the domain of science fiction, researchers are now working to create software that perfectly models human and animal brains.

Washington Lawmakers Want Computer Science to Count as Foreign Language
From ACM Careers

Washington Lawmakers Want Computer Science to Count as Foreign Language

Two Washington state legislators have recently introduced a bill that would allow computer science class (e.g., programming) to effectively count as a foreign language...

Don't Call Them 'utility' Rules: The Fcc's Net Neutrality Regime, Explained
From ACM News

Don't Call Them 'utility' Rules: The Fcc's Net Neutrality Regime, Explained

Within a few weeks we’ll have a huge document full of legalese on the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality rules, to replace the near-200-page ...

Cops Get Handheld Radar that Can 'detect People Breathing' Through Walls
From ACM News

Cops Get Handheld Radar that Can 'detect People Breathing' Through Walls

At least 50 local law enforcement agencies—and the United States Marshals—have acquired a type of handheld radar that allows cops to scan through walls to detect...

Snowden: ­.s. Has Put Too Much Emphasis on Cyber-Offense, Needs Defense
From ACM News

Snowden: ­.s. Has Put Too Much Emphasis on Cyber-Offense, Needs Defense

In an on-camera interview with James Bamford for an upcoming episode of PBS' NOVA, Edward Snowden warned that the U.S. Department of Defense and National Security...

Fbi Says Search Warrants Not Needed to Use 'stingrays' in Public Places
From ACM News

Fbi Says Search Warrants Not Needed to Use 'stingrays' in Public Places

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is taking the position that court warrants are not required when deploying cell-site simulators in public places.

4 Seconds of Body Cam Video Can Reveal a Biometric Fingerprint, Study Says
From ACM News

4 Seconds of Body Cam Video Can Reveal a Biometric Fingerprint, Study Says

Researchers say they can have computers examine body camera video footage and accurately identify a person wearing a body-mounted device in about four seconds,a...

Baer's Odyssey: Meet the Serial Inventor Who Built the World's First Game Console
From ACM Opinion

Baer's Odyssey: Meet the Serial Inventor Who Built the World's First Game Console

Even if you're a devoted fan of video games, there's a decent chance you're not familiar with the name Ralph H. Baer.

Beyond Gaming, the Vr Boom Is Everywhere—from Classrooms to Therapy Couches
From ACM News

Beyond Gaming, the Vr Boom Is Everywhere—from Classrooms to Therapy Couches

When Oculus almost single-handedly revived the idea of virtual reality from its '90s vaporware grave, it chose the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo as the place...

Prepare For the Part-Time Self-Driving Car
From ACM News

Prepare For the Part-Time Self-Driving Car

Self-driving AI cars have been a staple in popular culture for some time—any child of the 1980s will fondly remember both the Autobots and Knight Rider's KITT—but...

Julian Assange on Snowden, Disliking Google, and His 'inevitable' Freedom
From ACM Opinion

Julian Assange on Snowden, Disliking Google, and His 'inevitable' Freedom

It would be too much to say that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange feels optimistic.

Air Force Research: How to ­se Social Media to Control People Like Drones
From ACM News

Air Force Research: How to ­se Social Media to Control People Like Drones

Facebook isn't the only organization conducting research into how attitudes are affected by social media.

Massachusetts High Court Orders Suspect to Decrypt His Computers
From ACM News

Massachusetts High Court Orders Suspect to Decrypt His Computers

Massachusetts' top court ruled, in a 5-2 decision on Wednesday, that a criminal suspect can be ordered to decrypt his seized computer.
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