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dateMore Than a Year Ago
subjectLegal Aspects
authorThe Washington Post
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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.


For Sale: Systems That Can Secretly Track Where Cellphone ­sers Go Around the Globe
From ACM TechNews

For Sale: Systems That Can Secretly Track Where Cellphone ­sers Go Around the Globe

Privately owned surveillance companies are offering systems capable of tracking the location of any cellphone user to governments around the globe. 

Why Teaching Grandmothers to Code Isn't a Crazy Idea
From ACM TechNews

Why Teaching Grandmothers to Code Isn't a Crazy Idea

The same efforts to teach youngsters coding and entrepreneurship should be extended to older workers and retired people, writes Stanford University fellow Vivek...

Why One of Cybersecurity's Thought Leaders ­ses a Pager Instead of a Smart Phone
From ACM Opinion

Why One of Cybersecurity's Thought Leaders ­ses a Pager Instead of a Smart Phone

In the computer and network security industry, few people are as well known as Dan Geer.

How Spy Agencies Keep Their 'toys' from Law Enforcement
From ACM News

How Spy Agencies Keep Their 'toys' from Law Enforcement

A little over a decade ago, federal prosecutors used keystroke logging software to steal the encryption password of an alleged New Jersey mobster, Nicodemo Scarfo...

Caught Up in the Nsa Net
From ACM TechNews

Caught Up in the Nsa Net

The Washington Post has published an analysis of about 22,000 surveillance reports collected by the U.S. National Security Agency between 2009 and 2012.

The Case That Might Cripple Facebook
From ACM Opinion

The Case That Might Cripple Facebook

An Irish judge has rendered a preliminary judgment that may have sweeping consequences for U.S. e-commerce firms.

Fcc Unveils 'new Regulatory Paradigm' For Defeating Hackers
From ACM TechNews

Fcc Unveils 'new Regulatory Paradigm' For Defeating Hackers

The Federal Communications Commission is working to expand its role among federal agencies charged with protecting U.S. networks from cyberattacks. 

Brokers ­se 'billions' of Data Points to Profile Americans
From ACM News

Brokers ­se 'billions' of Data Points to Profile Americans

Are you a financially strapped working mother who smokes?

'smart Pills' with Chips, Cameras, and Robotic Parts Raise Legal, Ethical Questions
From ACM News

'smart Pills' with Chips, Cameras, and Robotic Parts Raise Legal, Ethical Questions

Each morning around 6, Mary Ellen Snodgrass swallows a computer chip.

Fcc Chair: An Internet Fast Lane Would Be 'commercially Unreasonable'
From ACM TechNews

Fcc Chair: An Internet Fast Lane Would Be 'commercially Unreasonable'

Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler says the FCC could take action to block the emergence of Internet fast lanes, or "paid prioritization." 

Why the Death of Net Neutrality Would Be a Disaster For Libraries
From ACM Opinion

Why the Death of Net Neutrality Would Be a Disaster For Libraries

The Internet's eyes turned to the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday, as the panel approved a plan to consider allowing Internet service providers to...

When Driverless Cars Crash, Who's to Blame?
From ACM News

When Driverless Cars Crash, Who's to Blame?

Self-driving cars have an undeniable allure: Think of all the fun things you could do if you didn't have to keep your eyes on the road!

Research in India Suggests Google Search Results Can Influence an Election
From ACM News

Research in India Suggests Google Search Results Can Influence an Election

Google long ago went from being a mere directory of the Internet to a shaper of online reality, helping determine what we see and how.

The Military Thinks Bitcoin Could Pose a Threat to National Security
From ACM News

The Military Thinks Bitcoin Could Pose a Threat to National Security

Does Bitcoin risk endangering the nation's safety? The Pentagon thinks it might.

Low-Level Federal Judges Balking at Law Enforcement Requests For Electronic Evidence
From ACM News

Low-Level Federal Judges Balking at Law Enforcement Requests For Electronic Evidence

Judges at the lowest levels of the federal judiciary are balking at sweeping requests by law enforcement officials for cellphone and other sensitive personal data...

Google, Once Disdainful of Lobbying, Now a Master of Washington Influence
From ACM News

Google, Once Disdainful of Lobbying, Now a Master of Washington Influence

In May 2012, the law school at George Mason University hosted a forum billed as a "vibrant discussion" about Internet search competition.

U.S. Rallied 120 Nations in Response to 2012 Cyberattack on American Banks
From ACM TechNews

U.S. Rallied 120 Nations in Response to 2012 Cyberattack on American Banks

In 2012, the Obama administration appealed to 120 nations to help block a wide-ranging cyberattack campaign against U.S. banks 

A Veteran Programmer Explains How the Stock Market Became "Rigged"
From ACM Opinion

A Veteran Programmer Explains How the Stock Market Became "Rigged"

A small group of financial firms are using their technological superiority to skim the top off the market, Michael Lewis claims in his new book "Flash Boys."

Supreme Court Weighs Software Patents
From ACM TechNews

Supreme Court Weighs Software Patents

It is not yet clear whether the U.S. Supreme Court will help bring greater clarity to the rules governing software patents.

In New Case, Supreme Court Revisits the Question of Software Patents
From ACM News

In New Case, Supreme Court Revisits the Question of Software Patents

If you write a book or a song, you can get copyright protection for it. If you invent a pill or a better mousetrap, you can patent it.
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