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
Severe Vulnerabilities Found in Most Industrial Controllers
Three-quarters of devices that keep facilities like electricity and water treatment plants safe and operational have severe, unpatched cybersecurity vulnerabilities...
From ACM TechNews
Researcher Exploits Power Supply to Transmit, Steal Data from PC
Mordechai Guri at Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev transmitted stolen data from a personal computer by manipulating the device's power supply.
From ACM TechNews
A Faster Way to Preserve Privacy Online
Researchers have developed a method for retrieving private information from a database that is approximately 30 times faster than comparable methods.
From ACM News
Self-Driving Taxis Are Causing All Kinds of Trouble in San Francisco
They have blocked traffic, driven on the sidewalk, sped away from cops — and the city is powerless to stop them.
From ACM News
Twitter Disbands Trust and Safety Council
The action comes the same day Twitter moved to boost its revenue not linked to digital advertising by reintroducing a paid-for subscription service that would show...
From ACM News
The New Chatbots Could Change the World. Can You Trust Them?
Siri, Google Search, online marketing and your child's homework will never be the same. Then there's the misinformation problem.
From ACM News
Attackers Keep Targeting the U.S. Electric Grid
Plus: Chinese hackers stealing U.S. Covid relief funds, a cyberattack on the Met Opera website, and more.
From ACM News
Pentagon Picked Four Tech Companies to Form $9B Cloud Computing Network
Microsoft agrees multi-cloud strategy is "the right one" for U.S. Defense Department.
From ACM News
How the Global Spyware Industry Spiraled Out of Control
The market for commercial spyware — which allows governments to invade mobile phones and vacuum up data — is booming. Even the U.S. government is using it.
From ACM News
Brain-Computer Interfaces Could Change The World—But At What Cost?
The ethics of neurotechnology lags behind the science.
From ACM News
San Francisco Has Reversed Its Killer Robot Plan
The city rolled back a controversial decision to let robots use lethal force without human intervention. But the fight is far from over.
From ACM News
FTC Sues to Block Microsoft's Acquisition of Game Giant Activision
The lawsuit marks FTC chair Lina Khan's most significant effort to date to address tech industry consolidation, and it could upend Microsoft's gaming ambitions....
From ACM TechNews
Facebook to Test Age Verification Tech on Facebook Dating in U.S.
Facebook announced a forthcoming test of age verification technologies on its Facebook Dating service in the U.S.
From ACM News
A Row Erupts Over Texas' Bold Bitcoin Battery Plan
Bitcoin miners say they can help stabilize a shaky power grid and prevent blackouts. Experts say it will make the problem worse.
From ACM News
Amazon Says It'll Pay You $2 Per Month to Spy on Your Phone's Internet Traffic
Big Brother, small sum.
From ACM News
Apple Will Allow iCloud Backups to be Fully Encrypted
Law enforcement has objected in the past to encrypting iCloud accounts.
From ACM TechNews
Canada Pushes Canadian Content, Irking Big Tech
Proposed legislation in Canada that would require digital platforms to promote Canadian content over foreign-made content is facing pushback from leading tech firms...
From ACM News
Apple Sued by Women who say AirTag Lets Stalkers Track Victims
The Cupertino, California-based company has acknowledged that "bad actors" have tried misusing Airtags.
From ACM News
Oversight Board Criticizes Meta for Preferential Treatment
Influential and powerful users on Facebook and Instagram receive "unequal treatment," an internal report said.
From ACM News