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 News
38M Records Were Exposed Online—Including Contact-Tracing Info
Misconfigured Power Apps from Microsoft led to more than 1,000 Web apps accessible to anyone who found them.
From ACM News
OpenAI Is Making Coding As Easy As Talking to a Smart Speaker
Plus: The early days of programming, an existential investigation, and bipartisanship before our very eyes.
From ACM TechNews
Millions of Web Camera, Baby Monitor Feeds Exposed
Researchers have identified a vulnerability in a software development kit affecting more than 83 million smart devices.
From ACM News
Augmented Reality Is Coming for Your Ears, Too
New software applications are cleverly mapping audio to transport users to another space.
From ACM News
How an Algorithm Blocked Kidney Transplants to Black Patients
A formula for assessing the gravity of kidney disease is one of many that is adjusted for race. The practice can exacerbate health disparities.
From ACM TechNews
Messaging Apps Have an Eavesdropping Problem
Google's Project Zero researcher Natalie Silvanovich found vulnerabilities in messaging apps that add eavesdropping bugs without requiring users to click a malicious...
From ACM News
John Deere Doubles Down on Silicon Valley and Robots
Farm-equipment giant is buying Bear Flag Robotics, which makes autonomous tractors
From ACM News
This New Way to Train AI Could Curb Online Harassment
Researchers in Denmark tried a new approach to training artificial intelligence: hiring people full-time to review and label posts for training, instead of relying...
From ACM News
Controversial Tool Calls Out Thousands of Hackable Websites
PunkSpider is back, and crawling hundreds of millions of sites for vulnerabilities.
From ACM News
Trucks Move Past Cars on the Road to Autonomy
Money is pouring into autonomous trucking startups, just as many are souring on the short-term prospects for self-driving cars.
From ACM News
The Pentagon Is Bolstering Its AI Systems—by Hacking Itself
A new "red team" will try to anticipate and thwart attacks on machine learning programs.
From ACM TechNews
Rats Took Over This Pacific Island. Now Drones Are Leading the Fightback
The conservation group Island Conservation plans to use drones to try to eliminate rats on Tetiaroa atoll and two other islands in French Polynesia, beginning in...
From ACM News
U.S. Says Humans Will Always Be In Control of AI Weapons, but the Age of Autonomous War is Already Here
The Pentagon says a ban on AI weapons isn't necessary, But missiles, guns and drones that think for themselves already kill people in combat, and have been for...
From ACM News
A Global Smart-City Competition Highlights China's Rise in AI
Chinese entrants swept all five categories, featuring technologies to improve civic life. But the advances could also be tools for surveillance.
From ACM News
Alondra Nelson Wants to Make Science and Tech More Just
The deputy director of the White House science office plans to tackle algorithmic bias and start candid conversations about the past.
From ACM TechNews
NFC Flaws Let Researchers Hack ATMs by Waving a Phone
An Android app can exploit flaws in near-field communication systems, enabling ATMs and a variety of point-of-sale terminals to be hacked.
From ACM TechNews
Algorithm That Predicts Deadly Infections Is Often Flawed
An algorithm designed to forecast sepsis infections is significantly lacking in accuracy.
From ACM News
Algorithm that Predicts Deadly Infections is Often Flawed
A study found that a system used to identify cases of sepsis missed most instances and frequently issued false alarms.
From ACM News
How Apps and VR Therapy Can Help OCD Patients
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is often misunderstood. Here's what it is, and how those with OCD can use technology to help navigate uncertainty.
From ACM News