Communications of the ACM
An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
From ACM TechNews
Tuvalu Turns to Metaverse as Rising Seas Threaten Existence
The Pacific island-nation of Tuvalu intends to replicate itself in the metaverse, to preserve its history and culture amid threatened submersion by rising sea levels...
From ACM TechNews
Italy Outlaws Facial Recognition Tech, Except to Fight Crime
Italy has banned the use of facial recognition technology and "smart glasses," except when used in judicial investigations or the fight against crime.
From ACM TechNews
A 1990s Relic, Floppy Disks Get Second Life at California Warehouse
Floppydisk.com sells around 500 floppy disks per day.
From ACM TechNews
Software Tools Aim to Aid 3D Content Creation for Metaverse
A set of software tools rolled out by Adobe Inc. aims to facilitate the development three-dimensional digital objects for marketing campaigns, video games, and...
From ACM News
Hacker Claims to have Stolen 1 Billion Records of Chinese Citizens from Police
Anonymous Internet user "ChinaDan" posted on hacker forum Breach Forums last week offering to sell the data for 10 bitcoin, worth about $200,000.
From ACM TechNews
China Bank Protest Stopped by Health Codes Turning Red
Bank depositors in China said a protest in Henan province was halted by authorities using COVID surveillance infrastructure to turn health code applications red...
From ACM TechNews
Deere Tapping Into Apple-Like Tech Model to Drive Revenue
Deere & Co. hopes to drive up revenue by emulating Apple's business strategy and melding state-of-the-art hardware, software, and subscription models.
From ACM TechNews
Uber Launches Robot Food Delivery in California
Uber has rolled out pilot food delivery services that use autonomous vehicles in Santa Monica and West Hollywood, CA.
From ACM TechNews
China's Weibo Shows User Locations to Combat 'Bad Behavior'
Chinese social media application Weibo will publish users' Internet Protocol addresses on their account pages and when they post comments, in order to rein in...
From ACM TechNews
Texas Sues Meta's Facebook over Facial-Recognition Practices
The Texas Attorney General's Office has filed suit against Facebook for allegedly violating state law with its facial recognition technology.
From ACM TechNews
Trucks Catch Up in Self-Driving Vehicle Race
Some investors expect trucks to overtake cars in becoming fully autonomous and profitable, as trucks face fewer regulatory and technological barriers to deployment...
From ACM TechNews
South Korea to Test AI-Powered Facial Recognition to Track COVID-19 Cases
South Korea in January plans launch a pilot project to track the movements of persons infected with COVID-19 and anyone with whom they had close contact
From ACM TechNews
Baidu in Partnership with Sanofi to Use Its Algorithm in mRNA Vaccine, Therapy Development
Baidu has licensed its algorithm for messenger RNA sequencing to Sanofi SA, the Chinese tech giant's first commercial deal with a global drugmaker.
From ACM TechNews
Australia Says U.S. Facial Recognition Software Firm Clearview Breached Privacy Law
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner said Clearview AI violated domestic privacy laws by collecting images from Websites without Australians' consent...
From ACM TechNews
Google Wants to Use AI to Time Traffic Lights More Efficiently
Google said it intends to test the use of artificial intelligence to optimize traffic-signal timing in Rio de Janeiro.
From ACM TechNews
Italy Data Authority Asks Facebook for Clarifications on Smart Glasses
Italian data protection authority Garante has asked Facebook to provide it with clarifications related to its newly launched smart glasses, to determine their compliance...
From ACM TechNews
El Salvador President Steps in to Fix Bitcoin Rollout Snags
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has interceded in the troubled launch of a bitcoin payments application.
From ACM TechNews
AR Collection by Ukrainian Companies Hits Runway
Ukrainian clothing brand FINCH teamed up with Ukrainian technology company FFFACE.ME to develop semi-digital clothing that can be upgraded with augmented reality...
From ACM TechNews
As Spain's Beaches Fill Up, Seaside Resort Sends in Drones
Officials in the town of Sitges in northeastern Spain are using drones for real-time crowd monitoring along 18 km of beach as COVID-19 cases rise.
From ACM TechNews