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dateMore Than a Year Ago
subjectComputer Systems
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.


'Black Box' to Chronicle Ravages of Climate Change
From ACM TechNews

'Black Box' to Chronicle Ravages of Climate Change

Australia is building "Earth's Black Box," a reportedly indestructible steel structure containing a real-time archive of climate change news and research.

My Day With Henry Evans–A Quadriplegic Who's Gaining Movement Through Robotics
From ACM TechNews

My Day With Henry Evans–A Quadriplegic Who's Gaining Movement Through Robotics

Severely quadriplegic Henry Evans has beta-tested robots as part of a 20-year collaboration with healthcare roboticist Charlie Kemp.

Messy, Incomplete U.S. Data Hobbles Pandemic Response
From ACM News

Messy, Incomplete U.S. Data Hobbles Pandemic Response

The nation's decentralized, underfunded reporting system hampers efforts to combat the coronavirus.

Bye-Bye, Miners! How Ethereum's Big Change Will Work
From ACM News

Bye-Bye, Miners! How Ethereum's Big Change Will Work

The cryptocurrency is jettisoning the "miners" who track and validate transactions on the world's most-used blockchain network.

No Chips, No Tips: How the Computer Chip Shortage Threatens Thousands of Restaurant Service Jobs
From ACM News

No Chips, No Tips: How the Computer Chip Shortage Threatens Thousands of Restaurant Service Jobs

Faced with no semiconductor chips for their ordering machines, restaurants pivot away from human servers and toward contact-less ordering.

Feds Recover More Than $2 Million in Ransomware Payments from Colonial Pipeline Hackers
From ACM TechNews

Feds Recover More Than $2 Million in Ransomware Payments from Colonial Pipeline Hackers

U.S. officials say more than $2 million in cryptocurrency payments to the hackers who held Colonial Pipeline hostage in May has been recovered.

Biden Administration Will Prioritize Cybersecurity in Distribution of $1 Billion in Federal IT Funding
From ACM TechNews

Biden Administration Will Prioritize Cybersecurity in Distribution of $1 Billion in Federal IT Funding

The Biden administration will prioritize cybersecurity in the distribution of $1 billion in technology modernization funds signed into law by Congress in March....

Ransomware Attack Leads to Shutdown of Major U.S. Pipeline System
From ACM News

Ransomware Attack Leads to Shutdown of Major U.S. Pipeline System

The attack on top U.S. operator Colonial Pipeline appears to have been carried out by an Eastern European-based criminal gang.

Global Losses from Cybercrime Skyrocketed to Nearly $1 trillion in 2020, Report Finds
From ACM News

Global Losses from Cybercrime Skyrocketed to Nearly $1 trillion in 2020, Report Finds

IP theft and financial crime account for at least 75% of cyber losses and pose the greatest threat to companies, according to the report.

Tesla Putting 'Self-Driving' in the Hands of Drivers, Amid Criticism the Tech Is Not Ready
From ACM TechNews

Tesla Putting 'Self-Driving' in the Hands of Drivers, Amid Criticism the Tech Is Not Ready

Electric automaker Tesla has providing a number of owners of its vehicles a software update to enable the cars to steer better and accelerate without human control...

Buenos Aires Using Facial Recognition System That Tracks Child Suspects, Rights Group Says
From ACM TechNews

Buenos Aires Using Facial Recognition System That Tracks Child Suspects, Rights Group Says

Human Rights Watch says Buenos Aires is using a facial recognition system connected to a database that includes child suspects and is publishing warrants for their...

3D Images From Ultrasounds Allow Blind Parents to Feel Their Infant's Face
From ACM TechNews

3D Images From Ultrasounds Allow Blind Parents to Feel Their Infant's Face

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore can provide blind parents with three-dimensional models of their baby's face so they can "see" them before they are born,

Tech to Contain Coronavirus on College Campuses Sparks Fresh Privacy Concerns
From ACM TechNews

Tech to Contain Coronavirus on College Campuses Sparks Fresh Privacy Concerns

U.S. colleges are racing to contain the Covid-19 pandemic with technology including contact-tracing applications and facial recognition, prompting concerns about...

Virtual Try-Ons Replacing Fitting Rooms During the Pandemic
From ACM TechNews

Virtual Try-Ons Replacing Fitting Rooms During the Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has spurred consumers to substitute fitting rooms with augmented reality using their smartphones and computers.

Elite CIA Unit that Developed Hacking Tools Failed to Secure its Own Systems, Allowing Massive Leak
From ACM News

Elite CIA Unit that Developed Hacking Tools Failed to Secure its Own Systems, Allowing Massive Leak

The breach came nearly three years after Edward Snowden stole and disclosed classified information about NSA surveillance operations.

Companies' Use of Thermal Cameras to Speed Return to Work Sparks Worries About Civil Liberties
From ACM TechNews

Companies' Use of Thermal Cameras to Speed Return to Work Sparks Worries About Civil Liberties

Thermal imaging may be used to identify those suspected of having the coronavirus, but civil liberties experts warn such systems will monitor some who may not know...

In Nevada, Last-Minute Scramble to Make Voting Tech Work
From ACM TechNews

In Nevada, Last-Minute Scramble to Make Voting Tech Work

Nevada's Democratic Party hopes to avoid the fiasco seen in Iowa when it holds its caucuses Saturday with an in-house electronic voting system that it had to assemble...

Facebook, Google and Twitter Scramble to Stop Misinformation About Coronavirus
From ACM TechNews

Facebook, Google and Twitter Scramble to Stop Misinformation About Coronavirus

Facebook, Google, and Twitter are struggling to prevent misinformation on their platforms about the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Voting Machines Touted as Secure Option Are Actually Vulnerable to Hacking, Study Finds
From ACM TechNews

Voting Machines Touted as Secure Option Are Actually Vulnerable to Hacking, Study Finds

Researchers found that ballot-marking devices, which will be used in at least 18% of U.S. districts in November’s presidential election, lack sufficient safeguards...

Future of Autonomous Delivery May Be Unfolding in Suburban Houston
From ACM TechNews

Future of Autonomous Delivery May Be Unfolding in Suburban Houston

Robotics company Nuro has been field-testing delivery via autonomous vehicles (AV) in Houston.
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