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Why Digital Security Is an 'arms Race' Between Firms and the Feds
From ACM Opinion

Why Digital Security Is an 'arms Race' Between Firms and the Feds

The Apple-FBI standoff, where Apple is refusing to write special software that would help investigators crack into an iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters...

The President Wants Every Student to Learn Computer Science. How Would That Work?
From ACM News

The President Wants Every Student to Learn Computer Science. How Would That Work?

President Obama used his final State of the Union address Tuesday night to reflect on his legacy. But he also put forth some specific proposals for his remaining...

The Cybersecurity Argument For and Against Device Encryption
From ACM Opinion

The Cybersecurity Argument For and Against Device Encryption

Government officials argue that encrypted communication poses national security risks. But tech companies say that making it possible to unlock devices would make...

Grandfather of Vr: The Virtual Can Show the Beauty of the Real
From ACM Opinion

Grandfather of Vr: The Virtual Can Show the Beauty of the Real

Thomas Furness is known as the pioneer who stood at the inception of what we know today as virtual reality.

What Machines Can Learn from People and We Can Learn from Them
From ACM Opinion

What Machines Can Learn from People and We Can Learn from Them

Guruduth Banavar is an executive at IBM leading the team developing a new generation of cognitive systems—don't call it artificial intelligence—known as Watson.

Apple Ceo Tim Cook: 'privacy Is a Fundamental Human Right'
From ACM Opinion

Apple Ceo Tim Cook: 'privacy Is a Fundamental Human Right'

Apple has long touted the power and design of its devices, but recently the world's most valuable company has been emphasizing another feature: privacy.

How Close Are We Really to a Robot-Run Society?
From ACM Opinion

How Close Are We Really to a Robot-Run Society?

From Rosie, the Jetsons' robot maid, to Arnold Schwarzenegger's cyborg in The Terminator, popular culture has frequently conceived of robots as having a human-like...

Infiltrating 'the Dark Net,' Where Criminals, Trolls, and Extremists Reign
From ACM Opinion

Infiltrating 'the Dark Net,' Where Criminals, Trolls, and Extremists Reign

There's a side to the Internet most people have never visited.

An Npr Reporter Raced a Machine to Write a News Story. Who Won?
From ACM Opinion

An Npr Reporter Raced a Machine to Write a News Story. Who Won?

Even the most creative jobs have parts that are pretty routine—tasks that, at least in theory, can be done by a machine. Take, for example, being a reporter.

As Congress Haggles Over Patriot Act, We Answer 6 Basic Questions
From ACM Opinion

As Congress Haggles Over Patriot Act, We Answer 6 Basic Questions

The rest of the month is setting up to be pretty dramatic in the Senate.

Attention White-Collar Workers: The Robots Are Coming For Your Jobs
From ACM Opinion

Attention White-Collar Workers: The Robots Are Coming For Your Jobs

From the self-checkout aisle of the grocery store to the sports section of the newspaper, robots and computer software are increasingly taking the place of humans...

Are We to Become Gods, the Destroyers of Our World?
From ACM Opinion

Are We to Become Gods, the Destroyers of Our World?

In the stylish new sci-fi thriller Ex Machina, Frankenstein's old theme re-emerges in a beautifully designed setting: Instead of the Gothic castle we have a spectacular...

Considering 'the Philosophy of the Web'
From ACM Opinion

Considering 'the Philosophy of the Web'

We associate technology with the shiny and new. But humans have been using technology to change the environment and themselves since at least the lower Paleolithic...

What If Web Search Results Were Based on Accuracy?
From ACM Opinion

What If Web Search Results Were Based on Accuracy?

Imagine, for a moment, that every Web search gave only accurate, verified information.

The World Loves the Smartphone. So How About a Smart Home?
From ACM Opinion

The World Loves the Smartphone. So How About a Smart Home?

My coffee maker is texting me again. It's scheduled to make coffee tomorrow, the message says, but I need to refill its water tank.

Sen. Ed Markey On Protecting Data Our Cars Are Sharing
From ACM Opinion

Sen. Ed Markey On Protecting Data Our Cars Are Sharing

Cars and trucks today are computers, and a new report overseen by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., comes with a warning: As more vehicles have wireless connections, the...

New Clock May End Time As We Know It
From ACM News

New Clock May End Time As We Know It

"My own personal opinion is that time is a human construct," says Tom O'Brian.

Why Do We Blindly Sign Terms of Service Agreements?
From ACM Opinion

Why Do We Blindly Sign Terms of Service Agreements?

Audie Cornish talks with University of Chicago Law School professor Omri Ben-Shahar about terms of service agreements for software and websites.

Nsa Implementing Fix to Prevent Snowden-Like Security Breach
From ACM Opinion

Nsa Implementing Fix to Prevent Snowden-Like Security Breach

A year after Edward Snowden's digital heist, the NSA's chief technology officer says steps have been taken to stop future incidents. But he says there's no way...

The Hazards of Probing the Internet's Dark Side
From ACM Opinion

The Hazards of Probing the Internet's Dark Side

Late last year, hackers breached Target's data security and stole information from millions of credit cards.
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