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
FBI, ICE Find State Driver's License Photos a Gold Mine for Facial-Recognition Searches
U.S. federal investigators using facial-recognition technology to search millions of Americans' state driver's license photos, without their knowledge or permission...
From ACM TechNews
How Do You Read Ancient Scrolls Too Brittle to nfurl? American Scientist May Have Answer
Ancient papyrus scrolls too fragile to unwrap are being scanned with the hope of "digitally unwrapping" and reading them.
From ACM TechNews
Florida's Latest Oddity: Semi Trucks With Nobody Inside
Startup Starsky Robotics is testing unmanned semi trucks on public roads in Florida.
From ACM TechNews
Domino's Will Start Delivering Pizzas via Autonomous Robot This Fall
Robotics startup Nuro has announced plans to dispatch robots this fall to deliver Domino's pizzas to customers in Houston.
From ACM TechNews
Even Voting Machine Company Pushes for Election Security Legislation
Voting machine vendor Election Systems & Software has called on Congress to pass legislation requiring paper trails for all votes to protect against hacking.
From ACM TechNews
Tech Giant Brings Software to a Gun Fight
Salesforce.com is pressuring sporting-goods retailers and other customers to stop selling a range of firearms, or be prohibited from using its products.
From ACM TechNews
Apple, Google, WhatsApp Condemn British Spy Agency Proposal to Access Encrypted Messages
Leading technology organizations have criticized an intelligence proposal by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters to let law enforcement to spy on encrypted...
From ACM News
Tech Giant Brings Software to a Gun Fight
Stepping into a charged social issue, Silicon Valley tech giant Salesforce.com has asked retailers to stop selling military-style rifles, or stop using its software...
From ACM TechNews
How Amazon Turned the Tedium of Warehouse Work Into A Game
Amazon has developed a videogame-like competition aimed at making warehouse workers' jobs less tedious, in order to boost their productivity.
From ACM TechNews
Businesses, niversities Team p on New Digital Technology Credential
George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth universities now offer a digital technology credential.
From ACM TechNews
Android App to Tackle Cybersecurity in the Developing World
Android is offering a free app to boost security for smartphone users in the developing world.
From ACM TechNews
Drones in Aisle 5? Grocery Stores Becoming nusual Hotbeds of Innovation
Texas-based data subscription service Pensa has created a drone and its underlying artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance grocery operations.
From ACM TechNews
Oregon's a Testing Ground for Amazon's Facial Recognition Policing, But What if Rekognition Gets it Wrong?
Police in Washington County, OR, have used a facial-recognition algorithm from Amazon to publicly test new surveillance techniques for more than a year.
From ACM TechNews
They Asked AI to Create a New Game. One of Its First Ideas Involved Exploding Frisbees.
Design firm AKQA used artificial intelligence to create a new game that combines elements of rugby, croquet, soccer, and Ultimate Frisbee.
From ACM TechNews
In Australia, Hacked Lime Scooters Spew Racism, Profanity
Vandals hacked the audio files of scooters in Australia, to make them generate profanities and racist speech.
From ACM News
How WhatsApp, FaceTime and Other Encryption Apps Shaped the Outcome of the Mueller Report
Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III detailed multiple contacts among Russian operatives and associates of President Trump in the report made public Thursday....
From ACM TechNews
Firefighters Had Secret Weapon When Notre Dame Caught Fire: A Robot Named 'Colossus'
Paris firefighters used a 1,100-pound, tank-like robot to mitigate damage to Notre Dame cathedral and prevent the conflagration from spreading further by entering...
From ACM News
Craftsmen Built Notre Dame Eight Centuries Ago. Now It May Be Up to Robots to Save It.
As the first images of charred wreckage inside the Notre Dame cathedral appeared online Tuesday, engineers around the world said one observation was already clear...
From ACM TechNews
Self-Driving Car Learns to Navigate Narrow European Streets Like a Human Driver
U.K. startup Wayve said it has created an autonomous vehicle that can learn to drive the way a human does, through trial and error, using cameras and satellite...
From ACM News