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dateMore Than a Year Ago
subjectLegal Aspects
authorThe Atlantic
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How to Build an ­nbeatable Poker-Playing Robot
From ACM Opinion

How to Build an ­nbeatable Poker-Playing Robot

Each summer, the computer-science researchers behind the world's best poker-playing robots bring their creations together for a tournament.

The Long and Winding History of Encryption
From ACM Opinion

The Long and Winding History of Encryption

Never in history have more people had access to advanced encryption in their homes, offices, and pockets.

How the Internet of Things Limits Consumer Choice
From ACM Opinion

How the Internet of Things Limits Consumer Choice

In theory, the Internet of Things—the connected network of tiny computers inside home appliances, household objects, even clothing—promises to make your life easier...

Scores of Scores: How Companies Are Reducing Consumers to Single Numbers
From ACM Opinion

Scores of Scores: How Companies Are Reducing Consumers to Single Numbers

In his novel Super Sad True Love Story, Gary Shteyngart imagined ubiquitous poles installed on sidewalks that display people’s credit scores as they walked by.

If You're Not Paranoid, You're Crazy
From ACM Opinion

If You're Not Paranoid, You're Crazy

I knew we'd bought walnuts at the store that week, and I wanted to add some to my oatmeal.

Mark Zuckerberg and the End of Language
From ACM Opinion

Mark Zuckerberg and the End of Language

Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg hosted an online Q&A session on his personal Facebook page.

Humans, Not Robots, Are the Real Reason Artificial Intelligence Is Scary
From ACM Opinion

Humans, Not Robots, Are the Real Reason Artificial Intelligence Is Scary

Unfortunately, much of the recent outcry against artificial-intelligence weapons has been confused, conjuring robot takeovers of mankind.

How to Write About World War Iii
From ACM Opinion

How to Write About World War Iii

One of us first fought World War III from the backseat of a station wagon headed toward Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For the other, it was at an island cabin on...

That Time the CIA Bugged a Cat to Spy on the Soviets
From ACM Opinion

That Time the CIA Bugged a Cat to Spy on the Soviets

My favorite story about American spying is one I've never been able to verify with the Central Intelligence Agency, and not for lack of trying.

Beware the Listening Machines
From ACM Opinion

Beware the Listening Machines

One of my great pleasures in life is attending conferences on fields I'm intrigued by, but know nothing about.

The Myth of a Borderless Internet
From ACM Opinion

The Myth of a Borderless Internet

Almost a decade ago now, McDonald's made a seemingly innocuous decision.

Immortal But Damned to Hell on Earth
From ACM Opinion

Immortal But Damned to Hell on Earth

Imagine a supercomputer so advanced that it could hold the contents of a human brain.

Hacking the Brain
From ACM Opinion

Hacking the Brain

The perfectibility of the human mind is a theme that has captured our imagination for centuries—the notion that, with the right tools, the right approach, the right...

Facebook Is Eating the Internet
From ACM Careers

Facebook Is Eating the Internet

Facebook, it seems, is unstoppable. The social publishing site, just 11 years old, is now the dominant force in American media.

Televised Football Is Looking More Like a Video Game—in Subtle Ways
From ACM Opinion

Televised Football Is Looking More Like a Video Game—in Subtle Ways

It is impossible to consider American football without considering television.

The Cathedral of Computation
From ACM Opinion

The Cathedral of Computation

Algorithms are everywhere, supposedly.

The Adultery Arms Race
From ACM Opinion

The Adultery Arms Race

Jay's wife, Ann, was supposed to be out of town on business.

When Everything Works Like Your Cell Phone
From ACM Opinion

When Everything Works Like Your Cell Phone

Everyone understands what it means to own a plunger.

Want to Reform the Nsa? Give Edward Snowden Immunity
From ACM Opinion

Want to Reform the Nsa? Give Edward Snowden Immunity

In 1970, Christopher Pyle disclosed in public writing that the U.S. Army was running a domestic intelligence program aimed at anti-war and civil-rights activists...

The New Editors of the Internet
From ACM Opinion

The New Editors of the Internet

Bowing to their better civic natures, and the pleas of James Foley's family, Twitter and YouTube have pulled down videos and photos of his murder.
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